The Crossroads of Life
by LightningStrike83
Summary: Marinette stood at the crossroads of life, about ready to make a deal with the demon Chat Noir, until doctors were able to successfully revive her and pull her away before she could make a deal. Now, the demon follows her around where ever she goes, insisting that she makes the deal despite not needing it anymore. Demon AU. Featured ships: Marichat, Adrienette
1. Chapter 1

Hey there everyone and welcome to a secondary story that I'm working on~ I just randomly came up with this idea one day and my friend Yumi-chan-Hamano helped me flesh it out into a full length story :D I really hope you guys like it~ Please forgive the dirty pun in this chapter too ^^; I promise it won't be a normal occurance~

The next Connected Streams chapter will be next week so don't worry~ It's coming :D

Anyways, enjoy! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Where… where am I?" Marinette stammered awake, only to find herself surrounded by nothing but complete darkness. It was pitch black as far as her eyes could see. She tried to remember how she got to this place, but nothing came to mind.

"Greetings my lady." an eerie voice rang through the darkness. She turned to investigate the source of the voice and found someone standing before her, being surrounded by a source of light. He was dressed entirely in black leather from his neck all the way down to his feet. He donned a mask that surrounded his closed eyes that appeared to be the same material as his suit. On top of his messy-haired blond head rested a set of black cat-like ears, as well as long red horns that were positioned just in front of the ears.

Marinette was taken aback by the sudden appearance of this stranger. His appearance stirred worry inside of her. She tried backing up, to distance herself from him, but it didn't appear as if "Who… who are you?"

His eyes opened up, to reveal blood-red colour that they possessed. He flashed a toothy grin at her and replied, "The name's Chat Noir, and I welcome you to the Crossroads of Life."

Marinette's eyes widened at the name of the location. She had heard about it a few times before in school. The Crossroads of Life is where people go when they die, just before they pass on to the afterlife.

The realization quickly crept up on her. Her mind went into a panic. She looked around to see if there was any sign of this being a prank, but there was nothing. Only darkness and the mysterious man.

"Oh such a pity that a lovely young life came to such an abrupt end." He retracted his staff into a handsized mode and placed it on his belt. He began making his way towards the distressed girl, keeping his toothy grin plastered on his face. She tried backing up once again to get away from him, but it was a fruitless effort like before. He was upon her in no time flat. He grabbed the sides of her cheek from her chin and shook her head a little bit. "But this is good news for me because that means I have a lovely young soul to claim as my own."

"Get your hands off of me!" She slapped his hand away, which took him by surprise. His eyebrows began to wiggle up and down as he was impressed that she did such a thing. Normally souls were submissive thanks to fear but not this one. To Chat, she was feisty, which was new and refreshing to him.

He bowed to her and backed off a few paces to give her some space. He brought his staff back out, extending it so that he can lean on it once more. "If you'll allow me, I'd like to elaborate on your current situation a little further."

Marinette's lips curled into a frown. She knew that there was no way out of this, she was trapped.

She took another good look at the man before her. Seeing those piercing red eyes stare at her felt like that a thousand chills were running down her spine. She glanced at the horns atop of his head. Her worry increased when she thought about what he was. "You're some kind of demon, aren't you?"

"Beautiful and smart." Chat chuckled, much to Marinette's dismay. "Why yes. Do tell, was it the horns or the eyes that gave it away?"

"Uhh, both actually."

Chat shook his head, making a "tsk" noise with each turn. "You know, I told him that it would be obvious and that it would make our guests more comfortable if we didn't have them but no, we have to do things his way. Oh well, I guess they do make me feel rather _horny_."

"So what does this have to do with my situation?" she asked, completely ignoring his ramblings and the disgusting pun that he made that she didn't much care for.

"Oh, right. Do forgive me." He retracted his staff once more and clicked his fingers. At the sound of the snap, the darkness completely vanished was replaced by what looked like the streets of Paris. To the side of them was what appeared to be Marinette, holding the arm of an older gentleman who wore a Hawaiian shirt. She was escorting him across the street.

"What is this?" she asked, confused as to why she was seeing herself and the scene before her.

"This is the moment where you perished."

The two watched as the imitation Marinette continued to help the man. All of a sudden, loud honks caught the attention of the two watching. They saw that a large truck was coming at the two on the street, and appearing as if it wasn't slowing down.

"Move!" Marinette shouted at herself, forgetting that this was a replay of events already unfolded. "Move out of the way!"

The two watched as Marinette shoved the old man out of harm's way, but failed to get herself away in time. Just as the truck was about to hit Marinette, Chat snapped his fingers and caused the scene to disappear, being replaced by the darkness that first was there.

"Wow, such a noble sacrifice." Chat commented. He turned to Marinette, expecting her to be crying like most souls he's seen do when they view their death. However, much to his surprise, she was staring at him with her eyes full of worry instead of tears. She asked, "Is the man alright?"

"I uhh…" He was at a loss for words. This was the first he'd seen someone worry about safety of someone else rather than be concerned for themselves. He scratched the side of his cheek and tried to collect himself. "He's fine. You saved his life."

"Oh thank goodness." she pressed her hand against her heart and sighed. As she did, Chat looked at her curiously. She was different than other souls that came to the Crossroads, which sparked his curiosity.

"Now, onto business." He pushed his curiosity aside and continued about with the task he was sent to do. "My whole reason for coming here was to strike a deal with you."

"A deal? … What… kind of deal?"

Another toothy grin formed on his face. "I will grant you any wish you desire, in exchange for your soul."

"Wait, what!" Her panic set in once more, her thoughts going wild with the possibilities of what he meant.

"You heard me, your soul in exchange for a wish." He reached behind him and grabbed what appeared to be a belt that he was using as a tail to go along with his ensemble. He began spinning it around as he talked. "But I'll cut you some slack. Since I like you, I'll give you the wish you intend for rather than put some crazy loophole on your wish like most demons are supposed to do."

"Excuse me?"

"You know. Usually people wish that they could live again so we reincarnate them as something like a mayfly who live for a short time and wait for them to come crawling back where we collect on our debt."

"That's horrible!"

"I know, I know but it's the way demons do things. But I won't do that to you Marinette. I will fulfill any wish you desire." He began approaching her once more and leaned into her face, until their heads were just inches away from each other. "Anything."

She pushed him away and was about to yell at him, feeling insulted that he thought she would even consider the deal. But before she could, an image of two people flashed into her mind, which filled her up with a sense of dread inside. She could feel tears build up inside her eyes the more she thought about them.

She bit her lower lip, contemplating what to do. Chat raised an eyebrow as he watched her struggle with this decision.

"Chat- I… I-"

Before she could continue, she felt herself being dragged away from her current location. She began to scream and panic as she floated away from Chat. She looked behind her to see what was doing it, but couldn't see anything. Before she knew it, Chat was completely out of sight and all she could see was darkness.

* * *

Groans escaped from her throat as she opened her eyes, being woken up by the sounds of mechanical beeps to the right side of her. She looked around as much as her neck would allow her and noticed she was lying on a bed inside a white room full of machines. And to each side of her were her parents.

"Mom… Dad…" she weakly said, her throat burning in pain with each word spoke. The two adults leaned in and gently wrapped their arms around Marinette and cried, happy seeing their daughter alive. Marinette felt like she could cry too, feeling relieved that she was able to see her parents again.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again pumpkin!"

"S-sor-"

"Don't speak." Her mother placed her finger on her lips to stop her. "Save your strength. We don't want to lose you a second time."

"I'll prepare a feast for you when you come home. The doctors said you might be here a while."

Marinette leaned up slightly to inspect her body, curious of the condition after hearing her Dad's words. She saw that her left leg and arm were in a cast. She felt that something was around her neck also, which she guessed was a neck brace. She thought too that her torso was wrapped up with bandages but couldn't confirm. She was still apparently wearing her casual clothing, which confused her but she didn't have the strength to argue.

"The doctors said it was touch and go there for a while, but they were able to bring you back thankfully."

Marinette smiled at her mother's news, happy and thankful that the doctors were able to achieve that.

"Get some rest Marinette, you'll need it."

Marinette nodded as best as she could and leaned back into the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. She began wondering about her encounter with Chat Noir. Was it all a dream or did it actually happen? She didn't know, but for the moment, she didn't care. She was alive, she got to see her parents again, and the old man was safe too, and that's all that mattered to her.

* * *

It was about a month and a half before Marinette was discharged from the hospital and able to return home. The doctors had to ensure that she was stable before they could release her. Plus, they had to give her physiotherapy to teach her how to walk again once her leg was well enough, since it hadn't been used in a while. She was currently on crutches but aside from that, she was fine.

She raced up the stairs as fast as she could, excited to see her bedroom once again. It was exactly how she left it… except for one large noticeable difference. She went wide-eyed seeing that someone was sitting on her bed. She recognized immediately who it was. It was the demon known as Chat Noir.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Man, I gotta say, you all REALLY love this story and I couldn't be happier ;;u;; Seriously, the support has been amazing and I can't thank you guys enough for all the favs/follows/reviews~ Thank you all so much!

And as thanks too, I'm posting Chapter 2 a week early~ I was going to update Connected Streams this week but I can't leave y'all waiting after everything~ But next week is Connected Streams no matter what~ Chapter 3 of this will be the week after~ I promise! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

" _What do you mean you didn't claim her soul?!_ " a dark and eerie voice shouted.

"Please forgive me father. I'll try better next time." the demon responded, kneeling at the butterfly shaped shadows before him. Red eyes suddenly appeared on each of the wings and glared down at Chat Noir. " _I thought I trained you better than that!_ "

"You did! I swear!" The demon rose up and began flailing his arms about as he was making his case. "I was literally seconds away from sealing a deal with her! The mortals must have succeeded in reviving her!"

" _So she wasn't taken away by the old geezer?_ " Chat shook his head. " _Hmm… I will give you a chance to redeem yourself my son. Travel to the mortal plane and retrieve her soul yourself, through any means necessary._ "

The demon froze up, hearing this request. He had never been to the realm of the living before, and to ask such a task made him doubt his abilities, especially since the target was someone who he had come to admire.

" _You hesitate Chat Noir._ " The red eyes became slanted, which set Chat into a panic. He kneeled before the butterfly shadows once again. "As you wish Hawkmoth."

" _Excellent. Don't let me down._ "

The shadows disappeared, being replaced with a bright light that looked like a doorway. He saw on the other side was the woman whom was his target, lying asleep in a hospital bed with casts around her limbs. She looked vulnerable, easy to take. No one was around, which proved to be a perfect opportunity for the demon.

He took a deep breath in and passed through the portal. He was determined to accomplish his task, but not the way his father intended.

* * *

"Welcome home princess!" The demon greeted the girl, smiling at her. Her eyes grew wide with surprise, seeing the demon in her room. Over the past few weeks she had convinced herself that the meeting was just a dream, that it didn't actually happen. But here he was, sitting right in front of her as plain as day. She began questioning her sanity, thinking that he was just a hallucination. She slapped her cheeks a couple of times to try and snap her back into reality, but he never disappeared. It was then she realized that he was real and not just a figment of her imagination.

"Now now princess, don't harm those beautiful cheeks of yours." He rose up from her bed and starting making his way to her. She raised her crutch at him, intent on using it as a weapon against him if he got any closer. "What- what are you doing here!"

He began wiggling his eyebrows at her. "You and I have some unfinished business."

"I have no business with a demon!" she shouted, never breaking her stance. He shrugged his shoulders in response. "It didn't seem like that back at the Crossroads."

"Marinette, what's going on up there?" her mother asked.

She started panicking. How was she going to explain to her parents that there was a demon in her room? Chances are too he would disappear before they saw him, so they would think her crazy and potentially put her back in the hospital. She didn't want that to happen.

"Just ah… got scared mother! Alya sent me something on Skype and it startled me!"

She waited anxiously for a response, afraid that her made up excuse didn't work.

"Okay! Be sure to let her know you're fine! She was worried about you, you know!"

She let out a sigh of relief. She was thankful that her lie did work and that she didn't come up to investigate instead. "Will do Mom! I'll call her right away so don't mind anything that I say for the next while! I don't want to be disturbed also!"

She kicked her door closed, and locked it just in case her parents wanted to be intrusive. She turned around and saw Chat was still there, grinning at her. "Your mother's nice."

She raised her crutch at him again. "Don't you dare go anywhere near her, or my father!"

"Okay, okay, I won't. Besides, my business is with you and you alone." Marinette's face began to scrunch up, the pain from not being on her crutch for too long starting to become too much for her to hide. Chat noticed this and continued walking towards her. She never let down her guard and was about ready to strike him with the crutch, but he pushed it down with his index finger and continued his way to her. As soon as he was beside her he ducked down and scooped her arms onto his shoulders, acting as a crutch for her.

"What, what are you doing?" she asked, suspicious of his motives.

"Helping you." He took a step forward, causing Marinette to hop alongside him with her good foot. She scowled at this, her suspicion never fading. "I can do this myself you know."

"I know, but you looked like you needed a better and more handsome crutch than that wooden one you're carrying." She wanted to push him off, annoyed by his flirting but she had to admit that he was doing a better job than the crutch was. "Fine."

"Where to then my lady? Paris? Milan? Hawaii?"

"My bed." she blankly answered. Her eyes went wide realizing what she just said and looked over to see the demon wiggling his eyebrows at her, which caused her to groan. She almost pushed him off this time, but before she could, he said, "I'm just joking with you, don't worry."

A few long but painless steps later, they were at her bed. She sat down on it, placing her crutches at the side of her bed. Chat went over to her desk and sat in the chair that accompanied it. He spun around in it, making gleeful noises as he did, then rolled over to her. "So, about that deal of ours."

"I told you, I'm not doing business with a demon."

"Oh come on! Have you ever made a deal with a demon before?"

"No."

"Then how do you know you don't like it if you don't try it?" She glared at him, being unimpressed by his wit. He took the hint and continued on, being serious this time. "Listen Marinette

"It's a little too late Chat." She shrugged, raising her hands in the air and shaking her head. "I have no use for it now."

"Then why not make a different wish?" Chat snapped his fingers, causing a bubble to appear above his hand which had circulating images inside of it. "I can give you anything you want. Money, fame, perhaps even a lover?"

She was glaring at him now, which made him think to change his sales pitch. "Or I can do things to someone else. Save a life, change a person even. Isn't there anyone that's made you so frustrated that you just wish they'd stop and change overnight?"

"Yes but not enough to sell my soul for it."

Chat blinked a couple of times, surprised at her brute honesty to his question. He didn't know how to continue from there.

"Listen Chat, my life's not perfect but I'm happy with it. There's nothing that I want or nothing that I'd change to sell my soul for. So why not just crawl back to whatever abyss you came from and find someone else to make a deal with?"

"Oh, I would love to do that if I could, but sadly, I physically cannot leave until you and I make a deal." Chat began smirking, as Marinette groaned with frustration. She knew exactly what this meant and she was not happy about it. "Face it Marinette, until we make a deal, you're stuck with me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~ Here's the next chapter! :D I've seen y'all been eagerly anticipating for more and I have to say once again, thank you all for the support! It seriously means a lot to me to see y'all so excited to read the next parts :D I hope that this one doesn't disappoint~  
I actually fear I may've made Marinette a little too mean to Chat, but considering that she's sleep deprived and how she/Ladybug treated Lila in the park, I think I can get away with it just this once~ Don't worry though, she gets more comfortable around him... eventually XD

Anyways, hope y'all enjoy :D

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

The next day was the first day back at school for Marinette, and she was less than enthusiastic about it. Her left eye continuously twitched as she travelled to her school, feeling irritated. It wasn't because she didn't want to go to school, but rather, she was sleep deprived of the events that happened the night before. She didn't get any sleep the night before thanks to a certain demon that lingered in her room. Through the entire night, he did nothing but sit in her computer chair and watched her. It was creepy to her, so much so that she couldn't bring herself to fall asleep at all.

When she rose to get ready the next morning, her mother noticed the condition that Marinette was in and asked if she wanted to stay home and rest up, but she refused stating that she was eager to see Alya and all of her other friends again. In all reality, she just wanted to get away from Chat Noir as much as possible. Unfortunately for her, he decided to tag alongside her as she went to school.

She glared to her side, where she saw the leather-clad demon walking gleefully beside her. He had his arms curled up behind his back and whistling non-chalantly as they made their way to the destination. Seeing him act so calm and casual irritated her even more but she tried to keep a cool head.

"You know, you don't need to follow me everywhere." she stated, hoping that he would realize her words were true and leave her. Unfortunately, it caused the opposite effect. He began rubbing her head and laughing. "Silly princess, you and I still have a deal to make. I told you last night that I have to ensure your safety until that time. I can't allow you to be taken away prematurely before that happens."

"That doesn't warrant you watching me sleep all night."

"Of course it does! You humans are so fragile. You could have died in your sleep thanks to sleep apnea! I had to be there to resuscitate you in case that happens!"

"Urgh, I don't have sleep apnea Chat!"

"You could have choked on your own saliva! Or what if someone broke in and shanked you in your sleep!"

She stopped dead in her tracks, glaring at the demon with a burning intensity in her eyes. "I am not going to die in my sleep. Even if I do, I'd rather die alone in my sleep than have you constantly watching me to keep me alive."

"Oh princess, you hurt my heart!" he mocked, placing his hands on his chest and pounding it slightly. Marinette just rolled her eyes and continued on towards her school.

Her eye continued to twitch as she noticed he was still following alongside her, getting slightly closer to her with each step. It finally reached the point where he accidentally kicked one of her crutches, causing her to stop and regain her balance, crying out in pain from having to put her foot down in order to do so. Chat tried to apologize and help but he backed off when she glared at him with a stare that made it seem like she was about to murder him. She sighed and continued along her way. "I get you want to protect me, but must you follow so close? I really don't want to be seen in public with someone like you."

"Aww, why not? Any lady would be lucky to be seen out in public with a demon as handsome as I!"

She glared at him once again, causing him to laugh awkwardly. "You really don't need to worry about anyone seeing me. For the meantime, I choose to keep my presence exclusive to your eyes only. But if at any point I so choose, I can make myself present to the whole world."

At that point, the two of them were about to pass an older lady who was walking via a walker. Chat snapped his fingers and turned to the lady, bowing at her. "Good morning ma'am!"

The old lady began to screech and scurried away as fast she could to get away from the demon. Chat snapped his fingers once more and turned his attention back to Marinette. "See?"

"That was cruel!" Marinette took the opportunity to hit Chat in the shins with her crutch as punishment for his misdeed. He grabbed the spot that she hit and bounced up and down, yelping in pain. "It's fine really. She has dementia. When she tells her family and doctors about what she saw, they'll just put her on some stronger medication which will actually be more beneficial to her."

"Well… fine then. But do me a favour, if you're going to appear in public at least change your image a bit. You're a little too frightening and can attract a lot of unwanted attention."

"Change my image huh? Hmm…" Chat thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. At the sound of the snap, his eyes changed from blood red to an olive green and his horns retracted into his head. "How's this?"

Marinette looked him up and down and scowled. "Not much better. If I had to choose between the two looks though, I guess I prefer this one. At least you can use the excuse you're a cosplayer if anyone questions why you're dressed in black leather."

"You know, cosplaying doesn't sound like a bad idea actually. Care to make that your wish my lady?"

"Ha ha, nice try Chat. I'm not going to sell my soul just to cosplay."

Eventally, the two found themselves at the bottom of the steps leading up to Marinette's school. Marinette grimaced, seeing the challenge in front of her. Chat grasped onto her arm, intending on helping her up, but she shook him away. She turned and looked at him, with a serious expression plastered on her face. "Listen Chat, I get you want to protect me, fine. But do it when I'm out of school at least. I can't afford to have you around when I'm doing my studies."

"But Princess I-"

She hopped closer to him and leaned into his face, glaring him in the eyes. "Let me make this clear: If my schoolwork suffers because of you, I will personally ensure you return to the depths of Hell one way or another and you can forget about ever making a deal with me. So I strongly advise you to leave me alone when I'm at school. Do I make myself clear?"

"I-… Yes, understood." He bowed to her. "Between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm, I, Chat Noir, promise to leave you be so that you may focus on your studies without distraction."

She sighed with relief. "Thank you."

She turned to face the steps, about to put her crutch on the first step. However, she heard a snapping sound come from beside her and she immediately began to float. She flailed and panicked, unable to control her movement. She floated forward and landed gently at the top of the steps. She turned around and saw Chat waving at her. "Hope you like my parting present Princess."

She looked around, to make sure that no one else was around. When she was sure that no one saw the stunt that occurred, she subtly waved back and smiled, making her way inside the building.

Chat watched as the woman entered the building with slight difficulty. A thought suddenly appeared in his head which caused him to think. "Hmm… Change my image so as to not attract attention… Hmm…"

* * *

Marinette hobbled into the classroom, where she was immediately greeted at the door by her best friend, Alya Cesaire. She wrapped her arms around Marinette and gave her a tight hug, happy to see her friend again. "So glad to see you again girl!"

"Alya… please!" Marinette softly pushed her friend away from her and began panting to collect herself. "Your hugs are going to break what's healing if you continue."

"Sorry about that. Now listen, hate to break the news to you just as soon as you return but-" Before Alya could finish, Marinette noticed at the corner of her eye something that was off to her and she immediately set her sights on the problem. In her and Alya's usual seats, she saw that two others were occupying them. One was a short red-headed girl with glasses and a diamond checkered vest and the other was a blonde woman, dressed in a yellow vest and a white and black striped shirt underneath of her. The blonde one smirked evilly at Marinette once she noticed her presence.

Marinette sighed and turned to Alya. "Chloe and Sabrina took our seats, didn't they?"

"I tried to fight them but it was two against one and they kicked me out. It's been like that for a while."

Marinette let out an explosive sigh and made her way to her new seat. Normally she would fight Chloe for the seat back but thanks to Chat Noir, she was too exhausted to do a thing.

"Welcome back Marinette! Hope you like your new seat!" Chloe taunted as Marinette sat down. Marinette turned and glared at her. "Enjoy that seat while it lasts. When my leg's healed, you're being kicked out of it one way or another."

Chloe merely smirked and raised an eyebrow, taking Marinette's threat as a challenge. She began to sniff the air and quickly pinched her nose, fanning the air around her. "Oh my gosh! Something stinks in here!"

Her red headed friend beside her sniffed the air and copied the same gestures. "Oh yes, it smells horrid."

Chloe turned to Marinette and smirked. "It's coming from Marinette! Ewww!"

"What! It's not me!"

Alya sniffed the air herself and frowned. "I hate to say it but it is a little bit."

Marinette's face began change colour, into a faint shade of red from embarrassment. "Well, I haven't been able to have a proper shower in months… but the smell can't be that strong!"

She turned and saw that both Chloe and Sabrina were pointing at their throats with their tongues stuck out, as if they were insinuating that the smell was triggering their gag reflex, and laughed.

"Hey, hey Chloe! Instead of Marinette, they should call her Stinkinette!"

"Oh my gosh, yes! I love that!" Chloe turned to Marinette and smiled evilly at her. Marinette shot her a look that said "Don't you do it", but Chloe took the warning lightly and began pointing at her and calling out, "STINKINETTE! STINKINETTE!"

"Everyone calm down." The teacher said as she entered the classroom, causing everyone to quiet up, even Chloe. She placed her suitcase on her desk and looked at the class. "Good morning everyone. First, let us welcome back our beloved classmate, Marinette, from her extended absence."

"Stinkinette, Stinkinette." Chloe whispered.

"Marinette, I understand you'll be behind in your schoolwork. Alya has graciously volunteered to catch you up during breaks. So please bear with the rest of the class and my teachings until you're caught up."

"Will do!" Marinette responded.

"Thank you. Now, for today's lesson-" The teacher was interrupted by two knocks on the classroom door. "Come in!"

The door knob turned and the door swung open. In came a short young man, with blond hair that was nearly styled. He wore a black t-shirt with five multicoloured stripes near the top, with a white over shirt worn on top of it. He wore blue jeans for his lower half and had orange sneakers to cover his feet. He immediately walked up to the teacher and handed her a note.

She read the note thoroughly and turned back to the class. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to a new student joining us for the rest of the year. Care to introduce yourself to the class?"

The boy bowed at his classmates. "Hello, my name's Adrien. Adrien Agreste. Pleasure to meet you all."

He set his sights on the blue-haired pigtail woman who sat in the front row and smiled. He thought, " _Especially you._ "


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Welcome to our class Mr. Agreste," the teacher addressed to the young man. She began pointing over to an empty seat next to one of the students. "Please have a seat next to Mr. Lahiffe over there."

"With pleasure!" he responded, beginning to make his way to the assigned seat.

Marinette looked at the boy as he began to pass her. Something about him seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't place her finger on it. She continued to watch as he walked, trying to see if she could jog her memory but nothing came to mind.

He stopped momentarily and winked at her, causing a small sensation of embarrassment to form accompanied with a faint blush. She quickly turned away and began breathing heavily, her thoughts getting to her. She thought that he thought she was a creep, having staring at him for so long and so obvious too.

The blond boy sat down in his seat and immediately turned his attention over to Marinette, watching as she continued to freak out from embarrassment. He smiled, thinking that the display was cute.

"Hey there dude!" the boy next to his seat said, capturing Adrien's attention. When Adrien turned around, he saw that boy had his hand outstretched to him and that he was smiling at him. "Name's Nino!"

It took a few moments for him to register the situation. The introduction was different than what he was used to, it was more friendly and welcoming.

He eventually took Nino's hand and began shaking it, returning a sincere, albeit awkward, smile. "Adrien. Pleasure to meet you Nino."

"So, what brings you to our slice of the city, huh?" Nino asked, retracing his hand after the blond's response. The question stirred panic into Adrien. He didn't know how to respond, it was a question that he wasn't prepared to answer. In hindsight though, it was a question that he was bound to be asked eventually. "I moved here… from America… because… of… work."

"Cool dude. I take it your parents are the business type that move around a lot?"

Adrien subtly turned his glance back over to Marinette and noticed that she was calm now, with her friend patting her on the back, and paying attention to the lesson. He grimaced, as he was hoping that her attention would be on him, which it wasn't.

An idea quickly formed into his mind. His grimace turned into a smirk, determined to follow it through. "Actually no. The work's for me. I was offered a job here which I accepted."

"Oh, what do you do?"

Adrien's smirk widened greatly. "I'm a professional model."

"MODEL!" Both Marinette and Chloe shouted in sync, jolting their necks backwards to gaze upon the so called model, who was internally snickering at the two ladies responses. He didn't intend to have Chloe react too, but he was pleased that he was able to get a reaction out of her also. "Oh yes. I'm quite the popular model."

He began reaching into his backpack, clicked his fingers, and pulled out a magazine where he was on the front cover, wearing a fashionable suit. "As you can see here."

"Ooo!" Chloe immediately jolted up from her seat and grabbed a hold of Adrien's arm. "I'm Chloe, Chloe Bourgeois. You might have heard of me, I'm the daughter of the mayor."

Adrien shrugged his shoulders the best he could, seeing as one of them was being constricted by the affectionate woman that was holding it hostage.

"It doesn't matter. If you need anything, just come to me Mr. Model." She leaned in closer to his face. "And I do mean, anything!"

"Ms. Bourgeois, please take your seat!" the teacher called out to her. "You can introduce yourself to Mr. Agreste later."

"Fine!" She pouted as she returned back to her seat. When she was sure that the teacher was distracted once more with her lesson, she turned around and wiggled her fingers at Adrien. When he returned the gesture with an awkward but friendly wave of his hand, she blew a kiss to him.

"Urgh, look at that Alya!" Marinette commented, grunting and slumping in her seat. "Chloe's already got her claws into him."

"I'm sure it'll be fine girl." Alya turned and examined the expression on Adrien's face. "From the looks of it, he doesn't seem too interested in her."

"It doesn't matter anyways," she sighed. "A model like him wouldn't want anything to do with an average, ordinary girl like me. I probably just creeped him out anyways when I stared at him."

"Come on, you saw that wink he gave you when he passed by. You may have a shot with him."

Alya began nudging her friend's side, but her words didn't cheer Marinette up any. She sighed once again and shook her head. "I don't know Alya, I just don't know."

* * *

Lunch time finally came for the students, where they were free to roam and interact as they wished for the two hour period. Normally, Marinette would go to a café with Alya to spend her break but that would have to wait for a while. Even though she has the time, because of Marinette's temporary disability, it would prove to be a difficult and painful task going to said café. Luckily, Alya was more than understanding about the situation and stated that it would be a good idea to use the time that they would've spent travelling to catch up on the work Marinette missed in her absence.

As they were studying, Marinette couldn't help but glance over to the staircase that Adrien was sitting at, drinking soda and chatting with Nino. This time, her glances at him were a little subtle so he didn't notice and each time he turned his head, she would have enough time to turn away so it wouldn't look like she was staring.

She didn't want to stare at him, but she couldn't escape the thought that she recognized him from somewhere. It was driving her crazy, much to the point where she found herself losing focus in her schoolwork, but thankfully, not for too long. She considered the possibility that maybe thanks to his modelling, she saw him in a magazine or something but then she remembered that she doesn't read that many magazines so that couldn't be it.

"Just go over and talk to him!" Alya suggested, nudging at her side. "You won't be able to focus until you clear your mind."

Marinette shuffled her body, feeling nervous. "I don't know Alya, what am I supposed to say? Hi, do I know you from somewhere?"

"I do get that a lot," an unexpected voice spoke from behind Marinette. She squealed, being startled from the sudden appearance of it. She spun around and found Adrien right behind her. "Sorry if I startled you."

"No, no, it's fine." She waved her hand dismissively. "Just, yeah, you have a familiar face and I'm trying to remember where I saw you from."

Adrien began to smirk. Ideas were flowing inside his mind on how to respond to the situation, with each one being richer than the last. However, before he could act on any of them, he heard a large, shrill squeal come all the way from across the building. "OH ADRIKINS!"

The girl that called out the pet name immediately sprinted over to his location, latching onto his arm once more. He began shaking his arm, hoping that she'd let go but her grip was as tight as before. He began grinning at her. "Chloe, I thought you were going to go to lunch with your father."

"I was, but then I realized that I could bring you along with me and introduce you to my father!" She began tugging at his arm, but he remained still and firm in his place. "Come on Adrien, let's go! Papa's waiting for us!"

"But, I want to stay here with my umm…" He turned to look at Alya and Marinette, and then to Nino. "With my classmates?"

"Please, you don't need them. They're a bunch of losers. I'm the only one you need!" Chloe tilted her body slightly so that Marinette would be in her line of vision. "Besides, you don't want to stand around Stinkinette for too long. Her stench might rub off on you!"

"That is ENOUGH CHLOE!" Marinette began to shout, standing up in her seat. As soon as she began to put pressure onto her bad leg, she began to cry out in pain and was forced to sit back down.

"Aww, poor Stinkinette's angry! I can smell her fumes getting stronger. Pee yew!"

"Chloe, you better run before I get my hands on you." Alya stated, glaring at Chloe. Luckily, Chloe took the warning seriously and stepped back a couple of steps, while maintaining eye contact. "Fine fine, I'm going to be late for my lunch anyways. Come on Adrikins!"

Before he could protest, Chloe pulled him away from the two ladies and dragged him out with her. Marinette in the meanwhile, just sat firmly in her seat, tugging at her jeans. She was frustrated, embarrassed and upset with the way things went down. This was the second time today that she was powerless to do anything about Chloe. She knew her too, that confrontation wouldn't be the last one either.

* * *

"Welcome home my lady!" Chat Noir said, sitting on Marinette's bed, delighted to see her back. In response, Marinette picked up the pillow that was closest to her and tossed it at Chat in blind rage. The combination of the force of the throw and not expecting such an action caused Chat to topple down from the bed, screeching like a cat as it happened. He began rubbing the side of his head, where it hit the ground and grimaced at her. "That was uncalled for."

"I don't want to deal with you today, go away."

Marinette hobbled over to her bed, ignoring the black leather-clad demon that was still on the floor, and buried herself in her sheets and her pillows, letting out loud and frustrated screams into them.

As Chat rose up, he felt sympathy for his distressed friend. He sat on the edge of her bed and began rubbing her back compassionately. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

"Like you care." she stated from inside her pillows. Despite her statement, Chat never budged from his position and continued to rub her back. "Try me. Just because I'm a demon doesn't mean I don't have compassion."

She swatted Chat's hand away from her back finally and thought about his words for a few moments. Eventually, she rose up from her position, clutching one of her pillows for comfort. "First day back at school was rough."

"Who do I need to burn in hellfire?" Chat immediately asked rather jokingly. Marinette simply rolled her eyes and sunk back down into her bed and groaned. "No one Chat. No one deserves to be burned in hellfire. EVER!"

"Hey, whoever they are appear to have gotten you fired up. It's only fair if I return the favour!"

Ignoring the pun, Marinette continued. "There's this girl in our class, Chloe Bourgeois. She did nothing but push me around and call me Stinkinette all day."

"Stinkinette?"

She groaned with reluctance. "It's because… thanks to my leg… I haven't been able to get a decent shower in months."

Chat clicked his fingers and took a good whiff of Marinette's body. "I don't know, you smell as fresh as daisies to me."

Marinette wanted to protest and say how creeped out she was that he sniffed her without her consent. However, the scent filled her nose and she realized what he did to her, and the gratitude for it far outweighed her disgust. "Thank you Chat."

"Continue on with your story my lady."

"That's pretty much it. I had to spend the rest of the afternoon in silence so that she wouldn't be provoked into making things worse. I had to rush outside the classroom after school so that she wouldn't make any sny comments when the teacher wasn't around."

"You know, I can make her disappear if you want. For good. You and no one else will ever have to deal with her again."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "No Chat. As annoying and a pain in the butt that she is, she deserves to live like everyone else. I do not want you to get rid of her."

"Fine, fine." The two sat in silence, one was waiting for the other to say something and the other was replaying events that happened that day in her mind. When Chat concluded that she wasn't going to say anything more, he asked, "Anything else happen today?"

Marinette shuffled in her position a bit, debating whether or not to tell Chat Noir about the only other eventful part of her day. Seeing as he was genuine with caring about her problem, she decided to trust him this time. "There's this new kid at school…"

"Ooo! Tell me about him!"

She was about to, but something about Chat's wording was off to her, which made him seem suspicious. "What do you mean 'him'? I never said it was a guy."

His eyes went wide with surprise and he began to panic internally, trying to keep a cool demeanor so as not to raise suspicious even more. "I just assumed."

Marinette rose up once again from her position and narrowed her eyes at Chat, who smiled awkwardly. She rolled her eyes, accepting his answer and legitimate but also very stupid. "Yes, it was a guy."

"What do you think of him?" he asked, seeming eager for her response. To his surprise, she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I didn't get much of an opportunity to interact with him. All I know is that he's a model and quickly became Chloe's new lapdog."

Chat's smile became more rigid and awkward after hearing Marinette's words, but pretended like they didn't bother him. "Is that it?"

"Well… there's something about him that's familiar to me. I'm not sure why but I can't place it." She sighed. "You know, I wish I had more of an opportunity to get to know him better. Maybe I could figure out why he's familiar if I did."

"More of an opportunity you say?" Chat began stroking his chin and wiggling his eyebrows up and down. As he did, Marinette glared at him with an icy cold stare. "No Chat. I won't sell my soul for that either."

"Of course, I had a feeling you wouldn't." he said, waving his hand about dismissively. "But you know, I have the strangest feeling that you'll get that opportunity you mentioned, and very soon too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The sun was shining brightly as the students worked on their assigned tasks. The only one who noticed how bright the ball of fire was was none other than Adrien Agreste. For some time now, he had been staring outside and watching the sky instead of working.

He turned his attention to the clock that hung on the wall in front of the classroom, which read that it was four o'clock. A small smirk spread across his face as this was the exact time he was waiting for. He stretched out his arms, faking a yawn as he did so. At the moment of climax of his yawn, he snapped his fingers and set his secret plan into motion.

The light inside of the classroom seemed to dull, taking the students by surprise. A few of them turned to look outside and noticed that the sky was completely covered by pitch black clouds. Not long after, water began to expel from them and fall at a rapid rate.

"That's weird." Alya commented, raising an eyebrow to the sudden appearance of the strange weather. "The weather report didn't say it was going to rain."

"Oh gee, I wonder how that happened." Adrien said, fainting surprise when he knew full well just how this weather came to be. "So strange."

* * *

It was a quarter to five, and the rain was still coming down as harsh as it was when it first started. Most of the students had long left the school, either having been picked up by their parents or choosing to fight the storm themselves.

Marinette stood in front of the entry doors to the school, waiting for the rain to lighten up. Neither option that the others chose was something she could do. Her parents weren't answering her calls to pick her up and thanks to her crutches and still broken leg, she couldn't brave the storm without coming home completely drenched, potentially catching a cold and making her sick. That was something she wanted to avoid, seeing as she didn't want to end up back in the hospital again. She had hoped that Alya and her mother would drive her home, but unfortunately, Alya's Mom was busy, causing her to be one of the ones that would be fighting the storm.

Marinette hiked up her crutch. She was half thinking of taking the chance for illness and just run home, but she was still reluctant.

She began mumbling underneath her breath. "I wouldn't sell my soul for it, but I wish Chat was here. He could help me get home."

At that moment, a shadow began to loom over Marinette, taking her by surprise. She quickly spun around to see who was making the shadow. She expected it to be Chat, having responded to her plea for his appearance, but she was shocked to find it was someone else. It was another blond man, this one donning a wide and cheerful smile as he held a black umbrella above her head. "Hey there."

"A-Adrien!" The sudden appearance of the model flustered her; she had thought he had gone home already. Being so close to him too only made her fluster worse.

"Marinette, was it?" he asked as he moved up until he was standing beside her. She nodded as a response to his question. "It's nice to finally get to talk to you in private."

"Private? W-why would you want to talk to me in private?"

Adrien tilted his head, confused. "Because Chloe's not here to interrupt us like last time."

"Oh, r-right." Marinette could feel her face heating up, feeling embarrassed and thinking that she made a fool out of herself.

"For the record," Adrien began to say. "I felt like Chloe went too far yesterday. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I can try and talk to her if you want, see if she can lay off of you."

"Oh… It's fine, really!" Marinette began waving her hand dismissively. "Actually, I'm used to it by now. She does get on my nerves quite a lot but it's nothing you need to trouble yourself for."

"Well, if you say so." Adrien looked out at the streets of Paris. "It doesn't look like the rain will be letting up soon. Do you have an umbrella?"

"I- umm…" Marinette looked away, feeling her embarrassment increasing. "Do not."

"Would you like to use mine?"

Adrien stretched his arm out, offering Marinette the very same umbrella that was looming above him. She could feel her heart race a mile a minute as she reached to accept it from him. Emotions flowed through her body, some that she never thought she could feel be this strong before.

Just as she was about to grab the umbrella, she began to tilt and almost fall over. Luckily, both her and Adrien noticed in time. She managed to regain her balance but Adrien grabbed onto her arm to make sure she wouldn't fall over.

She looked deep into his sparkling green eyes and quickly turned away, becoming too flustered to continue seeing them.

"Th-thank you." Marinette spoke. "I appreciate the offer but I don't think I can take it. I- I don't think I can hold onto it while I'm on crutches. Sorry."

"Well, in that case then," Adrien held his hand out in front of Marinette. "May I walk you home?"

* * *

The walk to Marinette's house was a short one, but thanks to Marinette being on crutches and Adrien insisting that the two walk slow so that she doesn't slip, the trip took a lot longer than one would expect it to. However, Marinette preferred it that way. She got to spend a lot of time with Adrien, where the two spent a lot of time talking and connecting. The entire time too, the warm fuzzy feelings that had quickly developed inside of her never went away.

"Here we are." she said, stopping in front of the bakery that her parents owned. Adrien looked around the area in awe. "Wow, you live at a bakery! That is seriously so cool!"

"Would… would you maybe… like to come in?" Once again, Marinette could feel her face heat up as blush formed on her face. "Everything's on the house of course."

"I'd love to but I'll have to take a rain check." Adrien paused, expecting a response from Marinette for his very subtle pun but she didn't react to it at all. "Unfortunately, I have some where I need to be."

"Oh, th-that's fine. Another time then!"

"You can count on it!" Adrien said with a wink, before departing.

Marinette raced into the building as fast as she could, excitement overloading her. She looked around and saw that her parents were nowhere to be found. She travelled into her house's living room and found it to be empty too. She realized that her parents must have gone out somewhere, which is why they didn't answer her calls. This posed as a problem though, since she had a lot of excitement to let out and there was no one around that she could share it to.

She suddenly remembered that there was someone around that she could talk to and immediately made her way to his location.

* * *

"Princess! Hello!" Chat greeted as he watched the door to Marinette's room fly open. He watched as she quickly stumbled up the steps, almost losing her balance just as she entered the room but was able to regain control.

"Oh my gosh Chat! The most amazing thing happened today!" she squealed, making her way over to the bed that he was sitting on.

"Oh? Do tell." Chat said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm very intrigued to hear!"

"Okay, so it's like this! There's this cute new boy at school named Adrien Agreste!"

Chat sat and watched as Marinette began to ramble on about this boy that had apparently captured her attention fully. He smiled as he listened, taking each of the compliments she was saying about him to heart. For once in his life, he felt happy. He was genuinely happy and it was all thanks to her.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hey again everyone~ Just wanted to say thanks again for all the support :D Seriously, I've been reading all of your reviews and have been seeing all of the follows/favs and I can't thank y'all enough for the support :D I actually wrote up until Chapter 10 because I was feeling really motivated to write :D So there will be many chapters to come! :D  
I also want to apologize ahead of time for the next chapter too |D I won't say why, but when I release it, it'll be apparently why I'm apologizing |D Hope y'all like this chapter, the next and all the rest too~ :D :D :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Hey there everyone! :D It's currently September 1st right now and I thought I'd treat y'all to the next chapter a little bit early to celebrate Miraculous Ladybug's first anniversary :D

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

It was late in the night. Marinette was resting peacefully in her bed, being tucked in nice and tight. Chat sat in her computer chair and rested. Demons don't require sleep, but he found that if he slept too, Marinette would feel more comfortable with his presence at night.

The doors to Marinette's balcony suddenly blew open thanks to a large gust of wind, which woke up Chat Noir. He turned to check on Marinette and found her to be still sleeping, having not been disturbed by the noises. He rose up and grabbed onto the doors, intending to shut them but paused in this action when he saw a shadow on the ground. This particular shadow caused him to narrow his eyes in suspicion. It was shaped much like a butterfly, which only meant one thing to him.

He turned around and looked into the room to see if there was anything that would cause this shadow, but there was nothing. This meant that his suspicions were confirmed.

He stepped outside and closed the doors behind him. He leapt to an alley way a couple of blocks away and leaned against the wall, waiting. The butterfly shadow had apparently followed him. It rose up from the ground and stretched out in front of him. Red eyes began to glow on each wing and aimed themselves directly at Chat Noir.

"What do you want?" Chat asked, glaring at the pair of eyes.

" _You have not retrieved the girl's soul yet._ " a dark and sinister voice spoke, echoing from the shadows.

"I'm working on it, don't worry." Chat said, waving his hand dismissively.

" _Do you take me for a fool?_ " Chat stopped his hand about and raised an eyebrow at the statement that was directed towards him. " _I've been watching you Chat Noir. I know you've been doing. I know you had ample opportunity to take her soul before now._ "

Chat didn't say anything in response.

" _Perhaps this task was too much for you. Perhaps it would be best if I-_ "

"I CAN HANDLE IT!" The red eyes widened with surprise, seeing the leather clad demon quickly turn serious. A fire was burning in his eyes, something that was a new feature to him. "I will get you her soul. I just, I refuse to take advantage of her when she's vulnerable!"

" _That is what demons do Chat Noir._ "

"No, that's what YOU do Father! I'm different from you and I will do things my own way! I will get you her soul and it will be consensual. Do I make myself clear?"

" _… This is the first time you've ever spoken against me._ " Chat stood firm, not letting the fear of what he did weaken his resolve. " _Very well. I will trust that you can accomplish this task. But bear in mind Chat Noir that I will still be watching and if I sense any hesitation or weakness in you then I will not hesitate to come there myself and do your job for you._ "

"Thank you Father."

Chat turned around and began making his way back to Marinette's house but paused when he heard his father speak once more. " _Do not get yourself too attached Chat Noir. No good ever comes out of getting involved with humans._ "

"Says you." Chat sneered.

" _She is mortal, she's destined to perish one day unlike you. You're a demon. No human will ever love a demon._ "

"You don't know that!" Chat protested. "She's different from the other humans! She's kind, she's feisty, she's-"

" _She is not your mother Chat Noir._ "

Chat growled, feeling irked and frustrated at the mention of his mother. He leaped off, not wanting to stick around and hear anything else from his father that would cause him pain. He knew his father was right, but he didn't want to be reminded of it.

* * *

Sun began to break out, signalling the start of a new day. Marinette yawned as she stretched, being woken up by the sun's rays on her face. She rose up and looked outside, where Chat Noir was sitting on her balcony, looking out at the streets of Paris.

"Chat…?" Marinette tiredly said. She rose up and grabbed her crutches and made her way out to where Chat was, curious as to what he was doing.

The squeak of the doors as Marinette opened them was enough to capture his attention. A frown was plastered on his face as he looked back to find a groggy Marinette standing behind him. He repressed all of his thoughts for the time being and forced a smile, so as to not worry the girl. "Good morning princess!"

"What… what are you doing out here?"

"I was admiring the beauty of the city, that's all." Chat turned back and gazed at the city. "You humans certainly have come a long way and made a beautiful realm."

"Chat, I can't exactly make sense of your ramblings this early." Marinette said as she rubbed her eyes. "Mind explaining it to me later?"

"No Marinette. There won't be a later sadly." The frown on Chat's face returned, as he thought about what he had to do next. He leaped down from his position and approached Marinette, tilting her head upwards at him. "I'm leaving."

"Leaving?"

"Yes. It won't be for forever, I'll come back and visit from time to time, but I feel like it might be best if I didn't stick around you too much. A girl does need her privacy after all."

A small and weak smile spread across Marinette's face. "I appreciate that Chat."

"Before I go, I have a gift for you." Chat clicked his fingers together. All of a sudden, the pain and stiffness in Marinette's leg was alleviated. She was surprised by this. She placed her foot on the ground and was surprised to find that it didn't hurt her at all. Her leg was completely healed!

"Chat… thank you." Marinette said, as she tapped her foot multiple times to check and make sure that the first time wasn't a fluke. Chat Noir smiled, feeling content that he was able to help. "No problem Princess. Take care."

The black, leather-clad demon disappeared in a poof of black smoke, not giving Marinette a chance to respond. She looked to where he disappeared and smiled. "See you soon kitty."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Just wanted to mention that this isn't the end just yet~ :D There's still lots to come *o*  
And a little teaser about what's to come too: A certain rock star that owns a crocodile will be making an appearance ouo

Happy Miraculous Anniversary to y'all as well! :D Enjoy the day~


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ever since that fateful day where Chat Noir took his leave from Marinette's home, things have been different for her. She'd be lying if she said that things were better, but she couldn't say that they were worse also.

With her leg now being fully healed, she was able to finally stand up against Chloe without feeling vulnerable and kick her out of the seat that she had taken for herself. Alya applauded her friend's bravado but Chloe was less than pleased. However, the queen bee had to accept what happened, since the teacher defended Marinette's actions and said that the only reason she allowed Chloe and Sabrina to take Marinette and Alya's seats in the first place was because she thought it would be less of a strain on Marinette's leg when climbing the steps to the seating. Now that she was healed, she saw no reason to defend Chloe's selfishness and allowed things to return to the way they should have been.

Chat's disappearance didn't last for too long, or at least, Marinette thought. He made it a habit to visit her every Friday evening just as she came home from school. With every visit, he greeted her by asking her the same question "Have you thought about our deal yet?" and each time, it was met with the same response, "No." He didn't mind that she still didn't want to make the deal with him, although he did wish that she would get it over and done with so that his emotions would stop toying with him.

He didn't leave after he asked the question however. He still wanted to prove to Marinette that she could trust him and that he was her buddy. He would ask her about her week, taking in everything that she had to say. Whenever she mentioned Adrien, he found himself purring that thankfully wasn't noticeable to her. After catching up, he'd offer to assist her with her schoolwork for the weekend or anything else she might have on her plate, but every time before she accepted his help, she would always say "As long as it doesn't cost me my soul, sure."

As far as Marinette knew, those Fridays were the only days that Chat visited her. Little did she know, he swung by on Saturdays and watched her as she spent time with her family. It was a Dupain-Cheng tradition that they set aside 2 hours every Saturday night to spend time with each other. The activities that they would do ranged from watching a movie, or playing video games, or even viewing old family photos and recollecting past events. He liked to watch the happy family as they smiled and laughed and was happy that his friend had such a loving family in her life. However, there was also a sense of emptiness inside of him that always appeared when he watched her family. One could say that this emptiness could be jealousy and he even considered it to be that from time to time, but he shook those thoughts away and kept saying to himself "She's got a happy family, and that's all that matters."

In this time, Adrien had become shocking distant from Marinette. She invited him over to the bakery one day after school to cash in on his rain check from when he walked her home, but he politely declined stating that he was busy with his work. Marinette understood but that didn't help the feelings of sorrow from developing within her. She didn't let them get her down however; she used those feelings to motivate her further. Her goal: to try and get Adrien to spend more quality time with her!

She made multiple attempts to spend time with Adrien, but most of the time, he either said that he was busy or didn't catch onto what she meant. After all, she wasn't exactly the most straight-forward person with invitations and her nervousness with being around him didn't help it any. She wished that she could fight through them just once and ask him out when he's not busy.

One day though, Marinette's prayers were answered by her friend whom she constantly calls an angel when she helps Marinette out in situations such as these. As it turned out, Alya had won two tickets to a Jagged Stone concert from a radio contest.

"No! Way!" Marinette could barely contain her excitement, seeing the tickets in Alya's hands.

"Believe it girl!" Alya said with a smile. She took Marinette's hand and firmly placed both of the tickets in it. "And they're all yours too!"

"No, no! I possibly couldn't!" Marinette tried to deny, but Alya kept pushing her hands away and insisted that she keep them. "Listen, I'm a fan of Jagged too but concerts are never usually my thing. The only reason why I won them was so you could take Adrien with you and finally get some time with him. How could he say no to a Jagged Stone concert?"

Marinette began to feel her face heat up with blush, the thought of taking Adrien to the concert being too much for her to contain. She wanted to argue but she found herself lost in her own thoughts, dreaming of what it would be like.

Alya waved in front of her friend's face and clicked her fingers together, which thankfully snapped Marinette back to reality. "I- I really appreciate the thought Alya but I don't know if he'll even want to come with me. He's refused off my invitations so far. Jagged is a tempting offer but if there's something about me he doesn't like-"

"Then don't tell him it'll just be the two of you!" Marinette looked at her friend in confusion. "I'll say I'll go too just to lure him in. Then, when it comes time, just say that I 'miraculously' lost my ticket so it'll have to be the two of you."

"I don't-"

"No time to argue girl! There he is!" Alya pointed out the blond man, whom was walking down the hallway and chatting with his friend Nino while doing so.

Without a moment's hesitation, Alya grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her along to greet Adrien. "Hey Adrien!"

"Hi Alya! Hi Marinette!" Adrien greeted with a soft smile. "What's up?"

Marinette's body began to shake, the nervousness quickly taking control of her body and mind. "I um, you see, Jagged Stone is coming and I thought… maybe…"

"We're going to a Jagged Stone concert this Friday!" Alya interrupted, trying to make what Marinette was saying clear to the confused boy. "We have an extra ticket and thought you'd want to come too!"

"Jagged Stone huh?" Adrien began biting his lower lip, which didn't seem like a good sign to the two ladies.

"Did you get one for me too?" Nino asked. Alya glared at him and firmly responded with, "No. We were only able to get one extra ticket."

"Well, why don't you two take Nino then instead? He seems more like a-"

"No! No!" Alya protested. "Nothing against you Nino but Marinette here was really hoping you'd join us Adrien. It would really make her day if you said yes!"

Marinette sucked back all of her nervousness and looked at Adrien with her eyes full of hope that he'd say yes. Adrien, however, took her look as one a puppy dog would have when it wanted something. Seeing her like this made his heart melt and couldn't bring himself to say no. At least, not with those type of eyes looking at him.

"Well, if that's what Marinette really wants, there's no way I can say no!"

Joy and excitement began to fill Marinette up, and was about to explode from happiness. Seeing the signs of this, Alya quickly grabbed her friend and began pushing her away. "Great, we'll see you Friday then! Concert starts at 7, doors open at 6, see ya!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone :D Just wanted to let y'all know that I've pre-typed chapter up until Chapter 14 and I gotta say, Chapter 14 is my favourite chapter by far so far! :D You all are gunna LOVE it! 8D (I hope XD;; ) There's still lots to come after that chapter too so this fic will be around for a while~ 8D


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The day of the concert finally came and Marinette was beyond excited for it. She skipped all of the way home that afternoon, happiness just radiating from her.

As expected, with the day being a Friday, Chat Noir was waiting for her in her room but things were different this day. He sat in her computer chair and was staring intently at her bed. His tail was swaying back and forth slowly and it didn't appear as if he was blinking. She forgot about the concert for the time being, as she was legitimately confused as to why the demon was acting this way.

"Chat? What are you staring at?"

He pointed forward, at the plush that resembled a cat that was wrapped around her pillow. She turned and looked at it, but knowing that it was the plush that caused the disturbance didn't clear her confusion up any. "What about it?"

"I never noticed it before." He squinted his eyes at the stuffed cat. "I don't trust it."

"Chat," Marinette sighed and shook her head. "It's just a plushie of a cat."

Marinette's words didn't seem to faze Chat in the slightest. He continued to watch the plush suspiciously. She groaned and shook her head again. "Listen Chat, I don't have much time today to deal with your antics. I have a date tonight."

"A DATE?!" That was enough to snap Chat out of his self-induced trance. "With whom, may I ask?"

"Adrien Agreste!" Marinette replied. A smile and a loving sigh accompanied her answer.

"Oh, right." Chat wished that he was feigning ignorance but he did legitimately forget that 'Adrien' was going to a concert that very night with her and Alya. Being suspicious of the cat pillow must have clouded his mind more than he thought.

Marinette happily scooted over to her closet and began looking through her clothes, trying to pick out an outfit for her concert. Chat watched her with concern as she did so. He was very happy seeing her gleeful and so full of hope, but he had thoughts in his mind that weighed heavily on him. "Are you sure about this date princess?"

"Mhmm!" she replied gleefully. "I've been looking forward to this date all week!"

"No, I mean, are you sure about this guy? From what you've been telling me, he seems like he's been avoiding you. Are you sure going to a concert with him is the best idea?"

Marinette paused in her search and thought about Chat's words for a moment. "He did seem rather reluctant to go."

"Exactly, why not stay home tonight? I can brew us some popcorn and we can watch a movie. Free of charge of course!"

"No." Marinette shook her head and continued looking through her clothes. "Even if he is avoiding me, I want to show him that there's nothing to avoid from. I know I can be a rather awkward person and it can be off putting to a lot of people, but he seemed interested to be my friend a while ago and I want to show him that I'm capable of that. This concert is just one of those ways to prove it to him and spend some time with him."

Chat looked down to his side, a sense of guilt beginning to fill him up inside. He mumbled, "I'm sure he doesn't think you're awkward. It might just be him."

Marinette didn't unfortunately hear his words, but he was fine with that. It saved him an explanation that could potentially blow his cover.

Moments later, Marinette pulled out two dresses from her closet and held them up, facing Chat. "Hey Chat, which one do you like? The blue or the red one?"

On the left was a long and beautiful blue dress, something that one would typically wear on a date. On the right however, was a red flared dress, with a black polka dot pattern scattered around it.

Chat looked between the two dresses, carefully examining each one. "Honestly, you'd look good in anything princess."

Marinette rolled her eyes and shook her head, feeling flattered by the compliment. "Silly kitty. Seriously though, I can't decide between the two."

Chat took another hard look at each of the dresses and began pointing at the right one. "I guess that one then."

"Thank you!" Marinette smiled and began storing the blue dress away.

"Honestly though, I think your casual clothes will suffice for the occasion. It is a concert after all."

"I know, but this is my very first date. I wanted to _dress_ up for the occasion."

"Oh, I didn't know." Chat's eyes suddenly grew wide as he realized something that hit him like a brick. "Wait, did you just make a pun?"

"Did I?" Marinette thought for a moment, recollecting her words. "Huh, guess I did. You must be rubbing off on me."

Just when Chat thought Marinette couldn't get any cuter, this happened. He could feel his heart going a mile a minute at this point, and the giggle that followed after Marinette's words only increased its rate.

Marinette left the room for a moment, taking the red dress with her, and leaving Chat to himself for the time being. He spun around in her chair as he thought. " _I didn't know it was her first date…_ "

When the chair stopped spinning, he found himself face-to-face with another cat-like object that was sitting on her desk. It was even more unsettling to him than the plush was. It was round and brown, with a white smiley face painted on it. He narrowed his eyes at the object. "I don't trust you either."

"What do you think?"

Chat spun around upon hearing Marinette's words and went wide-eyed at the sight. She stood at the doorway, donning the dress that he had selected for her earlier which made her look even prettier than usual. She had apparently acquired a pair of red high heels and a purse also which only added to the look. What really caught Chat's eye was the fact that Marinette's hair was flowing freely now, not being constrained by the hair ties that she usually wore. At first he thought she may've forgotten them but when she brushed her hair back with her hand, he realized it was intentional.

Chat began to stammer, unable to make comprehensible words thanks to her beauty. Luckily, Marinette took this as a compliment. "I hope Adrien likes it as much as you do."

She went back to her closet once more and took out a small black jacket that was inside, then turned to Chat again. "Sorry that our time together tonight is short but I have to get going. If you're around when I come back, I can tell you all about it if you want! Bye Chat!"

Chat waved goodbye to the girl as she departed, still unable to say a word. Her beauty had entranced him harder than her cat-like objects ever did.

His father's words suddenly began to echo in his head. " _Do not get yourself too attached Chat Noir."_

He began to smirk, breaking out of his trance. He shook his head, unable to believe himself. "Too late for that now."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I have good news and bad news for you all. ^^;  
Good News: I'm working on a set of chapters that revolve around Halloween that I've been told are VERY good and I feel like y'all will like too  
Bad News: At the rate things are going, they won't be posted until after Halloween ^^;

Although, I promise to try and get the Christmas themed chapter (s) out for Christmas time :D I'll at least try that for y'all ;D But apologies in advance for late Halloween chapters ^^; (It looks like there'll be 3 chapters for Halloween :D And there might be a treat in them too for y'all ;D)


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~ Just wanted to make mention that apparently I've been having a problem with my email as of late for some reason so I wasn't able to read all of your reviews until now :S Gotta say, I'm really touched by all your words once again! I know I keep saying that but I seriously do feel so happy and thankful everytime I read reviews~

I also wanted to make mention too that I'm going to aim to make this story weekly if I can instead of bi-weekly~ You all really enjoy it and I have so much fun to write it and feel motivated too thanks to all y'all~ I recently just finished Chapter 18 so there's still lots to come! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

It was a quarter to seven at night, Marinette was standing outside of the stadium that Jagged Stone was playing in… alone. Adrien hadn't shown up yet. She kept telling herself that she was running late, but the words Chat said to her ran deep through her mind. " _He seems like he's been avoiding you._ "

She didn't want to believe him, she wanted to believe that Adrien wasn't like that. As time marched on though, she began believing those words more and more.

She brought out her phone from her purse, checking to see if Adrien had texted her. Unfortunately, the only texts she had were from Alya, cheering her on. Just as she stored it away once again, she realized that she had never actually gave Adrien her number so there was no way he could have texted her.

She wanted to leave and just accept the fact that Adrien didn't want anything to do with her. However, there was still a shred of hope left inside her that made her stay. She thought herself to be pathetic for staying when it was apparent that he wasn't coming but she just couldn't bring herself to leave thanks to the hope she had.

A black limo drove into the parking lot just beside the stadium, capturing Marinette's attention. She felt happiness burst within her when she saw a familiar blond emerge from it. She saw that he was dressed in a navy blue suit with a red tie, which made him look incredibly handsome in her eyes. In his hands too was a bundle of flowers, which she guessed to be roses. The thought that the flowers might be for her made her excited, so much so that she could barely contain it.

She wanted to race over to him and leap into an embrace between the two of them, but she realized it would've been a bad mistake once she took a step forward and nearly twisted her foot from bad footing. High heels and running after just recovering from a broken leg would've only spelt disaster for her and ruin the night. Instead, she stood in place and patiently waited as he approached her.

"Sorry I'm late," he greeted, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I wanted to stop by and pick these up for you."

She was right! The bundle of roses was for her. As soon as he offered them to her, she graciously and happily accepted them while trying not look too over excited. She looked down at them and smiled. "These are beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you though."

Blush quickly formed on her face until she was beet red thanks to the compliment. She wanted to say something back but she found herself unable to.

Being oblivious to her expressions, Adrien looked around the area and began scowling. "Is Alya already inside?"

Marinette shook her head, trying to bring herself to her senses so that she could give Adrien a decent answer. "She- she uhh, lost her ticket and c-can't make it. It's just the t-two of us."

She began to panic, wondering what Adrien's response would be. Luckily, as a response, he turned to her and smiled. He raised his arm up so that it was on level with his chest. "In that case, shall I escort you in?"

Her face was heating up now thanks to the blush. She couldn't believe how the events were unfolding. It was almost exactly how she had envisioned the date would go.

She took a deep breath in to calm herself down and grasped onto his arm just as a large smile spread across her face. "Yes please!"

* * *

Being able to get into the event was easy for the couple. There wasn't much hassle thankfully. They gave their tickets to the vendor and told them exactly where to go to reach their spot. As it turned out, Alya had scored them some premium tickets, being able to access the area of the floor that was only on limits to VIPs. That's where the benefits ended however, there was no secret backstage access that they didn't know about. Marinette didn't care though, she was just beyond thrilled that she gets to see her favourite rockstar upclose with the person that she adored.

Adrien, on the other hand, appeared to be uneasy when they were told of their spots. He was able to successfully hide it from Marinette though, but he couldn't help but worry about how things will turn out.

As they made their way to the area, the both of them noticed that they were receiving looks from others. Marinette wondered if it was because they looked to be too overdressed for the occasion, but she overheard one couple saying about how cute the two of them looked together.

"I guess they think we make quite the couple, don't we?" Adrien commented, causing Marinette's blush to advance even further.

"Y-yeah." She began laughing, which might have come across as awkward but Adrien didn't mind. "You know, it's kinda funny, for a while there, I thought you didn't want to be around me. Some other people said the same thing too, but I'm glad that they're wrong."

"Y-yeah… wrong indeed."

Adrien suddenly felt a tug at his arm. He turned around and saw that Marinette was standing firmly in place, looking down at her feet. The blush had disappeared completely from her face, being replaced with what looked to be sorrow.

"Adrien, tell me the truth please." She gulped, feeling nervous and hesitant of what she was about to ask next. She didn't want to ruin the night by asking, but if Adrien didn't want to be there with her, she didn't want to make him stay. "Is it true? Have you been avoiding me?"

"I-" He took a second to think before answering, trying to find the right words so as to not upset Marinette. "In a sense… yes, I have been. The reason why is because I find it hard to be around you."

"Oh… I see…"

"I can explain, if you'll allow me."

Adrien nudged his arm, indicating to Marinette that he still wanted to continue forth. She hesitated for a moment, but continued forth along with him, wanting to hear what he had to say. The look in his eyes and the smile on his face told her too that his presence tonight was genuine and voluntary, that he didn't feel like he had to be there because of her.

"This may sound cheesy, but my reasons for not wanting to be around you have nothing to do with you… in a sense. It's all because of me, as hard as it may seem to believe."

Marinette began to scowl. She wanted to believe his words, but he was right when he said it was hard to believe. She let him continue, however, reserving her thoughts until she hears his full story first.

"In my line of work, you can't become too close to someone or else it'll interfere with business. At first, I thought things would've been fine between us but the day when I walked you home, I was reminded by someone close to me of that fact. I don't want to be distant towards you, honestly, but I don't seem to have any other alternative."

"But, you're close with Nino though?"

He raised an eyebrow at her as a response. At first, she was confused as to why he'd do that, but it quickly clued into her what he meant, which caused the blush to return back onto her face.

"But… what about Chloe though? Sh- … she seems to be interested in you also."

Adrien waited for a moment before he answered, as they were just inches away from the spot that they were instructed to go. As soon as they were in their assigned place, he continued. "The feelings she has for me aren't mutual."

Marinette took a moment to absorb Adrien's words. A thought suddenly appeared and began flowing throughout her mind. She felt like she knew the answer to this thought, but she had to ask anyways, just for confirmation.

"What-… what about me? A-are they mutual f-for m-m-me?"

Before Adrien could answer, the lights suddenly shut off and smoke began to surround the area. Fires began burning on stage as a shadow stretched along it. A man suddenly started to rise up from underneath the stage, which revealed himself to be the very person that the two and countless others had come to see: Jagged Stone.

"ARE YOU READY TO ROCK!" he screamed out to his audience, causing them to respond with cheers and roars.

"THEN GET READY!"

He pulled out his guitar from behind his back and began strumming on it, performing his first song.

"Hey," Marinette said as he tugged on Adrien's sleeve and catching his attention. "I understand what you said about your work. I can respect that. How about for now, we stay as friends so you don't need to worry?"

She offered her hand out to him, which took him by surprise. However, seeing such a gesture made him smile. He took her hand and began shaking it. "Sure, just friends it is."

Marinette would be lying if she said that she wasn't saddened at the prospect that her and Adrien couldn't be more than just friends for the moment, but she was alright with that. She will have some emotions that she'll need to deal with later on in the future, but for now, she just wanted to focus on the night. She was at a concert with her new friend, watching her favourite musician perform live right in front of her. She was happy with just that, and she let that happiness drown out her sorrow. Besides, being Adrien's friend and having him in her life is better than him not being in her life at all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"YEAHHH!" the musician screamed, finishing up his fifth song of the night. The audience cheered with delight and began preparing for the next song he was about to play.

Jagged wiped the sweat off of his forehead, having worked up a lot from the intense performance. He plucked the microphone from his stand and looked out to the audience. "ARE YOU ALL READY FOR MORE!"

The audience roared, the hype quickly building. Jagged was about to start the next song but the blond man in the VIP area caught his eye, causing him to smirk. "EVERYONE! WE GOT A SPECIAL GUEST IN OUR AUDIENCE TONIGHT!"

"Oh no." Adrien stated, realizing that his fear was coming true. He looked around for an escape route but he was surrounded by unmovable bodies. He was stuck there and had to accept the fate that was about to befall upon him.

"What's wrong Adrien?" Marinette asked, placing her hand on his arm.

Suddenly, the spotlight shined on the couple and they immediately became the center of attention. Adrien looked up to the rocker on stage and waved. "Hey there… Jagged."

"You know Jagged Stone?!" Marinette asked with a large gasp. Adrien nodded to her question and began developing an awkward smile.

"COME ON UP HERE ON STAGE BUDDY, YOU KNOW YOU BELONG UP HERE!"

The people in front of Adrien moved to the side, clearing a path for him to the stage. He gulped, realizing he was trapped. He had no choice but to comply to the request seeing as everyone expected him to.

He walked forward and climbed up on stage. He half expected Marinette to join him, but she was being polite and stayed back to watch, with jealousy circulating throughout her.

Adrien approached closer to Jagged, whom immediately wrapped his arm around the boy's neck and clutched him close to his body. "DUDES! I OWE MY WHOLE CAREER TO THIS GUY! I WOULDN'T BE HERE TO THIS DAY IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM!"

The crowd erupted with cheers towards Adrien, who could only wave as a response.

"YEAH, THAT'S IT, GIVE IT UP TO THIS GUY! EVERYONE, SHOWER YOUR LOVE TO CH-"

"Adrien!" the blond interrupted, grabbing the microphone from Jagged's hands. "Adrien Agreste, that's my name."

"Adrien! Adrien!" the crowd cheered, with Marinette being the loudest supporter towards him.

Jagged looked down at him with confusion but shrugged. He released his hold on him and began taking the guitar off from his body. "OUR BOY ADRIEN HERE IS KILLER ON GUITAR! AS A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU ALL, I'M GOING TO LET HIM PLAY THE NEXT SONG!"

Jagged tried to offer his guitar to him, but Adrien politely declined. He felt bad that the audience was booing him because of his refusal, so he grabbed the microphone and looked out to the audience. "I'd love to play a song for you all, but I'm here with a special someone tonight! Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng and I want this night to be about her, and not me!"

The audience awed simultaneously just as the spotlight found its way back to shine on the lady in question. Blush once again covered her face, feeling flattered and embarrassed by all the attention she was getting.

"THEN IN THAT CASE!" Jagged said as he stole the microphone back. "THIS NEXT SONG GOES OUT TO YOU MS. MARINETTE!"

Jagged began strumming on his guitar, starting up his next song. However, he leaned close to Adrien just before the blond began taking his leave. "Hey kid, come see me backstage after the show."

Adrien nodded and hopped down back into the audience, joining back up with his friend. She immediately grabbed his hands and jumped up and down in excitement. "Adrien! I can't believe you know Jagged Stone!"

"Ha ha, yeah…" Adrien began rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he chuckled. "Jagged and I go way back. I umm… I gave him some advice on his career and appeared in one of his music videos."

Marinette's eyes went wide with shock as she had a sudden realization. "Oh! That must be where I knew your face from then!"

Adrien tensed up, unsure of how to respond. He remembered that when her and "Adrien" first met, she was fretting over trying to remember where she saw his face from. Her assumption was wrong, but he didn't want to deny the claim and blow his cover so he just smiled and nodded stiffly. "Sure."

Marinette turned back to face the stage and saw that Jagged Stone was still rocking on his guitar. She smiled and turned to Adrien once again, this time leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his body. "Thank you for helping make that song dedication happen."

He returned the embrace and began patting her back. "It's no problem Marinette."

The two of them held each other longer than what most normal hugs would last. Both of them had the same feelings of longing for each other flowing inside of them, but the thoughts of the promises they both made prevented them from taking things further than that.

* * *

"Come in!" Jagged called out, responding to the knocks on the door to his dressing room. The doorknob turned and the door swung open, revealing the blond boy from earlier on in the night that Jagged had invited over.

"Hello Great King of Rock." Adrien greeted as he closed the door behind him.

"Ah, you remembered the nickname from the deal. Smart man." Jagged complimented. "But that was only with your father, feel free to call me whatever you want."

"Thank you."

"Have a seat." Adrien complied to the man's request, taking the seat that was directly in front of the rocker. A large reptile suddenly came out from the back of the dressing room and perched itself on the pillow that was beside Jagged's couch and conveniently underneath Jagged's hand. He began scratching the crocodile's head, making it quite content and satisfied.

"Make yourself more comfortable if you want."

Adrien grimaced at the suggestion. He was already comfortable as he was, but he knew that's not what the rocker meant. Dark shadows completely surrounded his body, changing his appearance to that close of his real form. The only things that he was missing was his pointed horns and red eyes, but the black leather suit and eyemask with matching cat ears was enough for Jagged.

"So, what brings you to this city?" he asked, making casual conversation with the demon.

"Same as you I suppose." Chat responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"Work, gotcha." Jagged winked at the cat-like demon, causing him to feel awkward. "So, how long have I got left?"

Chat looked to his side, unable to look Jagged in the eyes as he answered. "A little less than five years."

"Still a good chunk of time." Jagged looked up at the ceiling and groaned. "Urgh… you know, it's a shame I'll never be able to hold any comeback concerts. Just take ten years off and come back with a bang with a world tour."

Chat didn't respond, not that he didn't want to but he couldn't. Normally he'd try and make light of the situation like Jagged was but he had a lot on his mind that was weighing on him, and talking business like this didn't help him any.

"So, who was that cutie in the audience?"

"Oh, her? She's…" Chat paused and thought about the words he'd say next. "… a client."

"A client?" Jagged raised an eyebrow at those words and stopped petting his crocodile.

"Yeah. Or, well, soon-to-be client is more accurate to say. She got tangled up with our affairs a while back and-"

"Come here for a second Chat."

Chat was rather off taken by the request, but complied with it and approached the rocker. Much to his surprise, Jagged leaned forward and grabbed him by his collar, glaring into his eyes. "Listen to me here demon, I know full well what you demons have to do but taking the soul of an innocent young woman is where I draw the line!"

The crocodile began to growl, staring intently at Chat as if he were its next meal.

"The only reason why I haven't fed you to Fang yet is because you helped me out when I was making that deal with your father and managed to get my life extended so I can rock more. But so help me, if I ever see you around that girl ever again, I'll personally send you back to where you came from, even if I have to go with you before my time's up. Understood?"

Chat sighed. This type of threat was nothing new to him, he had been threatened by the very same thing from Marinette once. However, thanks to the other stuff that he was going through, it was just another thing to add to his list of things that were affecting him.

"Understood." he finally replied. Jagged smirked and let go of him. "Good, now get outta here."

Chat didn't need to be told twice. Without wasting a moment, he departed the star's room, leaving him to his crocodile and what was left of his life.

He sighed as he shut the door behind him, looking down at the floor tiles underneath of him. He began thinking about everything that's happened up until this point. Everyone's been on his case since Day 1 and it was becoming emotionally unbearable for him. He didn't like being treated like a demon, even though he was one. Marinette was the only one that treated him differently, like he was just some other person. That's what attracted him to her in the first place. However, it seemed like that no matter how hard he tries, others will just keep reminding him of who he really is and to try and tear him away from her.

He sighed once more and made his way to the exit. He stood in front of the double doors to the outside and pondered his thoughts. He began to mumble, "Maybe it would be better if I wasn't in her life anymore."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This was the real reason why Adrien was reluctant to go to the concert with Marinette~ And now y'all see why ouo


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Chat! I'm home!" Marinette called out as she entered her room, but was met with a surprising silence. She looked around the room, trying to see if Chat was being the playful rascal that he usually is and trying to scare her. She checked her closet and her balcony and found no sight of him, which slightly worried her. She hadn't seen Chat since her date with Adrien the week before. She laid out an invitation to him to come over when she was back from the concert but he never showed. Usually he would jump at a chance to see her but that didn't seem to be the case that time. Now, coupled with his current disappearance, she was concerned for him.

In a way though, it was a blessing to her that he didn't show up today. She gets to have a whole Friday night to herself. She did genuinely like having him around but sometimes one needs some time away from the usual routine. It wasn't like too she had much to tell him anyways. Usually all she would talk to him about was Adrien but he was on a business-related vacation the entire week so she didn't have much to tell him.

Despite all of the logic and reasoning, her concern was what was prominent in her mind. She knew that she didn't need to worry about a demon, that he could look after himself. However, whenever she feels that a friend's in trouble, no matter how capable they are, a feeling always brews inside of her that makes her want to help them, or at the very least, make sure that they're alright.

She took a deep breath in. She had an idea in mind that would draw Chat out. It was rather risky for her and she had no idea how to talk herself out of it, but she knew it was the most sure-fire method to bring him out of hiding.

"I'm ready to make a deal!" she called out and waited.

"What was that honey?" a voice called back from the floor below her. Unfortunately, it wasn't the voice she was expecting. Instead, it was her Mom who responded.

"Nothing! Don't worry!" Marinette answered back.

Silence. That's all there was. She looked around once more to find traces of Chat but there was nothing. Her concern increased ten-fold now. If her saying that she was ready to make a deal with him didn't bring him out, nothing will. That meant that there was indeed something wrong.

Marinette turned to her computer screen and checked the time once the screen flashed on. The current time was 4:58 pm. She decided to give him three hours to respond. If he didn't appear then… well… she didn't know what she would do. She just hoped that he would appear within that time frame.

* * *

The time on the kitchen counter read 8:00 pm. The three hours she had given Chat to appear were up. There hadn't been any sight or sound from him within that time.

"Hey, everything alright?" Marinette's father asked, with a concerned expression on his face that rivalled hers. She shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Yeah Dad. I'm just… concerned about a friend is all."

"Want to talk about it?" He placed the dish that he was currently drying into the cupboards above them and walked over to the couch in the living area of their apartment. He patted the seat next to him to invite her over. She hesitated for a moment but she accepted his invitation and sat down, tensing her body up because of the worries she possessed. "I have this friend… he's been gone for a while. He kind of left without a trace and I'm a little bit worried about him."

"Do you know where he lives? I could take you over to his house to check in on him."

"He umm…" A thought suddenly occurred to Marinette. Chat said to her when they first met again after he was discharged that he couldn't return back home until she made a deal with him. It had never crossed her mind after all this time where he'd been staying at. As far as she knew, he was living out on the streets, waiting for the Fridays when he could come and visit her. In fact, for the time being and for the sake of trying to find a way to answer her Father, that's what she chose to believe. "He's homeless."

"Homeless? Oh no, we can't have that Marinette." He rose up from his seat and scooped up his daughter's hand. "Come on, we're going to go out and find him! I refuse to let any friend of yours be homeless if I have anything to say about it! Your Mom would agree with me too!"

"No! No!" Marinette retracted her hand and began waving both of them about, denying his offer. It's not that she didn't mind having Chat Noir come with her, but how would she explain that she was friends with a leather clad demon with a tendency to flirt with her. If her parents met him, she was sure they'd kick him out without a second thought. "It's fine, really! He's been doing just fine on his own! I just want to make sure he's alright is all!"

"Well, I'll still drive you around town then to look for him!"

As tempting as the offer was, she had a feeling that if her Dad went with her then Chat wouldn't appear at all. Heck, she didn't even know where to begin looking for him. All she knew was that she had better chances finding him if it was just her and not anyone else with her.

"I'm fine Dad, thank you. But I want to go on my own."

"Now, you know the streets of Paris aren't safe for a young lady at this time of night." He noticed how grim Marinette was looking at this point, which plucked at his heart strings. He knew his daughter well. She would be worried all night and not be able to sleep at all.

He began rubbing the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, as long as you're back before 11 and you take your cell phone and a jacket with you, I'm sure I can make an exception this one time."

Marinette quickly perked up with delight. "Really Dad?"

He chuckled. "Well, how can I say no when it concerns of your friends that you care about?"

She jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around her Dad's large body. "Thank you! I love you!"

"Love you too." he said as he returned the embrace, leaning down to kiss the top of her forehead.

Marinette pulled away and raced over to the coatrack and grabbed a light blue jacket from the coat. "I promise I'll be back before 11!"

"I know you will. Stay safe!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Chat! Chat!" Marinette called out, having her words echo throughout the darkened streets of Paris. She felt uneasy, as her words drew attention to her. She was afraid she was becoming a target for some creep or thief because of it, but she needed to call out Chat's name so that he knew she was looking for him. Luckily, people just thought that she was looking for her lost cat, which was partly true, so they let her be.

She paused in her search and checked her phone. The time was now 10:32 pm. She had been out for two and a half hours and hadn't found him yet. She knew that there was still a lot of ground to cover in her search and there wasn't enough time to do it all. She knew she will probably have to post-pone her search until the next day, but she wanted to make use of the time that was left, just in case she lucked out. She was desperately hoping she could find him that night.

"Chat! Chat!" she called out again, continuing in her search. She passed by an alleyway where something had caught her eye. She turned and saw a shadow that appeared to be human-like, but with a pair of cat-ears to be down the alley. Her spirits immediately heightened as she thought it to be the demon that she was looking for.

"Chat!" she called out as she raced down the alley way. She turned the corner to where the shadow was being casted from and saw that it was just a black cat sitting on a trash can with a shirt on its body. She found this site to be odd but just accepted it. She had seen stranger things in her times.

The cat bit the shirt and tried pulling it, as if it wanted it off. Marinette decided to help the cat out, as she didn't want it to be uncomfortable any longer.

As she helped the cat out of the garment, a new shadow began to appear behind her. It consumed her own shadow and took shape of its own. At first, it stretched out so it looked to be long and narrow, but then, what looked to be a pair of wings spread out from each side of the shadow. It slowly began to rise up from the ground and began looming over the unsuspecting woman.

All of a sudden, Marinette heard a hiss behind her, followed by a large sound that sounded like a "clomp". She quickly turned around and saw that Chat Noir was standing there with his back turned towards her. He held his baton firmly in his right hand as he stood.

"Chat!" Marinette called out with delight.

Chat didn't respond right away. He shifted his eyes about, searching the area for the shadow that was there just moments ago. When he was sure it was gone for good, he eased up and turned to Marinette, placing a large smile on his face. "Hey Marinette, what's up?"

"What's up? What's up? I've been worried sick about you, that's what's up! Where have you been?"

The casual act that Chat Noir was putting on felt like it was quickly deteriorating to him, but he tried to keep it up for the sake of his friend. "Oh, you know, around."

"Around? Really? That's the best you can come up with?"

Chat shrugged his shoulders, causing Marinette to hold her head as she shook it, unable to believe the way things were turning out. "I can't believe I was worried about you."

She sighed and began leaving the alley. She felt uneasy being in such a tight and frightening place so late at night. She looked back at Chat and smiled. "Well, it looks like you're fine at least. See you next week then Chat?"

"N- no." Chat tried to mumble but Marinette was able to hear it.

Chat didn't want to say no to Marinette and cause her to worry, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her, especially with something as important as this. He didn't want their final goodbye to be a lie. She deserved the truth.

Marinette's curiosity peaked and her concern returned to her once more. She sensed the hesitation in Chat's answer and she saw how sullen he was currently looking, which was a rare thing for him. Usually he was joyous and flirtatious but not now. This is the first time she saw him like this, and the sense that she had earlier of wanting to help her friend was stronger than it has ever been.

She turned back around and approached Chat. "Chat, what's going on."

He was reluctant to answer. Even though he wanted to give her the truth, he didn't want to reveal all the details to her. He didn't know how she'd take it.

She was right in front of him now. She leaned forward slightly and placed her hand on his and looked deep into his eyes. "You can trust me with anything Chat. Please, if there's something troubling you, I want to help."

Once again, he was reluctant, but when he looked into her eyes, he saw the same watery puppy-dog look that convinced Adrien to go out on the date with her, which was now getting to him a second time.

"I've been told to stay away from you." Chat began. "You're not the only one that knows that I've been hanging around you. There are others, and they keep reminding me of the fact that I'm a demon and you're a human and what I've been doing has been foolish."

"I see." Marinette rose up. "What do you think though Chat? Has it been foolish?"

"I don't know… Maybe it is. I didn't think it was at first but-"

"Then don't let others sway your thoughts." Marinette interrupted. "Do what you think is best. Yes, we're from two different worlds but does that matter to me? No. Does that matter to you?"

Chat didn't respond, thinking that Marinette's question was rhetorical. He answered when he realized it was a legitimate question. "… No."

"My point exactly! Don't let what those others are saying to you. I like hanging around you Chat. You're a great friend and no matter what anyone says I don't mind you hanging around me!"

Chat smiled, happy by her words. But a thought clicked into his mind which washed away that happiness. "What if you're the problem though?"

"Then that's something you need to decide for yourself." Marinette turned back around, about to leave but looked over her shoulder to the demon and said to him. "You know how I feel about you Chat and what I want. Now it's time for you to decide how you feel and what you want. If you don't want to be around me, I understand. I'll be sad that you won't be around anymore but I'm not willing to sell my soul for us to be friends. The decision's up to you now. All I'm saying is don't let others sway your thoughts but that's easier said than done. Farewell kitty."

Chat Noir let Marinette go without another word. It was the only thing he could do. He didn't know what he wanted at this point. His heart screamed to stay with her but his mind kept reminding him of what his father and Jagged Stone told him.

The butterfly shadow that appeared earlier began to form on the wall behind him. A large pair of red eyes appeared on each wing and glared at Chat Noir, but he was the first one to get in the first word. "I thought you said you'd stay away."

" _I warned you Chat Noir. If I detected weakness in you then I would not hesitate to take the girl's soul myself."_ A long and skinny arm began to stretch out from the shadow. A jagged finger pointed at Chat's chest, right where his heart was. " _I sense despair and agony deep within you, both are emotions that we instill in humans._ "

Chat swatted away the hand. "What do you know?"

The red eyes began to roll. " _Teenagers._ "

"You know, I wouldn't be feeling this way if you just stayed out of things and let me handle them like I wanted! You're the one that started all of this in the first place!"

" _Do not blame me for your own shortcomings!_ " The shadow and eyes began to flare up, but that didn't spook Chat in the slightest. " _You have a job that needs to be done and I am just ensuring its success! Had you even planned to take her soul from the very start?_ "

Chat didn't respond to the question. He knew his father wouldn't like the answer.

The shadow sighed. " _Fine. If you wish to be around her then I will not pester you any further on the topic. But a word of advice my son: stay close to her, real close. Should she be vulnerable and without your protection at any point, I will not hesitate to claim her soul as my own. And I will not be merciless."_

Chat began clenching his fist and gritting his teeth. "You're too cruel."

" _This is what you wanted, is it not? Her life has always been in your hands. You chose to protect it on multiple occasions. I am merely just giving you something to protect it from._ _Farewell Chat Noir. I **will** be seeing you again soon._ "

Chat swiped at the butterfly shadow out of anger just as it began to disappear. He knew the act was a fruitless effort but he couldn't help but do it, to let out the frustration he was feeling.

He stood in place, looking down at the ground as he thought. He got what he wanted; to be able to be with Marinette without guilt but the way he got it wasn't satisfactory to him. Her life was now in constant danger, especially if he wasn't around her and that's something he wanted to avoid.

In a way, it felt like a punishment, like he was confined to her now. His free will to be with her was now stricken from him. It didn't turn him off of her at all; he just wished that things had gone differently, so that she wouldn't be in danger if for any reason he wasn't around her. Unfortunately, this was the reality he was now stuck with.

Suddenly, a thought flashed into Chat's mind; of something Marinette said just a short while ago. " _Now it's time for you to decide how you feel and what you want._ "

Chat huffed. He fully intended to figure out how he felt and what he wanted for himself but thanks to his Father, he felt like it was already decided for him. He had no choice but to be around her unless he wanted her to die, which he knew for sure that that isn't what he wanted.

As he thought, he began to realize something. Being around her didn't mean that he had to be "around" her, meaning that he could still watch over her from the shadows. He didn't have to be directly involved with her life at all; he could just be like her guardian angel.

The question was now: Is that what he wanted or did he want to be in her life as more than that?

* * *

Marinette had returned home with a couple of minutes to spare. After a short chat with her parents, where she reported that she had found her friend and ensured his safety, she decided to head to bed. After her long night of searching she was exhausted.

As soon as she entered her room, she found a familiar figure sitting on her bed with a large grin on his face. "I want to be around you princess!"

She smiled, having a large feeling of relief and happiness bursting throughout her. "Welcome back Chat."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Since the day that Chat Noir made his decision to be around Marinette more, things have been a little crazier for her. Rather than coming to visit every Friday like before, he's been visiting her every day, always waiting for her in her room once she returns home from school. He would always leave once it was late into the night, but she always got the feeling like he was never really gone. One night she stepped out onto her balcony and saw a cat-like shadow on the ground below her. If she didn't know any better, she'd think it was creepy and weird of him but she knew that he was just looking out for her. She was completely capable of looking out for herself but she found it to be sweet regardless. Plus, if she had the choice, she preferred that he watch over her from a distance rather than inside of her room like what he used to. Even though they were friends, she doubted she could get used to having someone watch her sleep when they're just a few feet away.

What's been surprising to her is that he stopped asking her about selling her soul. She brought it up once just to tease him, and his response was exactly what she expected: a flirty suggestion to do so. After she denied him, he explained that he's come to realize that she won't give up her soul so easily so for the sake of their friendship, he'd stop asking which she appreciated dearly.

To Marinette, Chat Noir appeared to be a lot happier now. He had always been chipper before but there was something about him nowadays that made her think that a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. She had to admit too, seeing him so happy made her happy too.

Meanwhile, Adrien had returned to school, back from his vacation. He explained that he got a sudden job offer to model in the United States that he couldn't pass up. He only had time to text Nino because of how busy it was for him, but everyone except Chloe understood. After his story, the queen bee was full of jealousy and frustration and she insisted to Adrien that the next time he models in another country, he brings her with him. He tried to refuse at first but he had to reluctantly agree because of her persistence.

As for the relationship between Marinette and Adrien, the two had become a lot closer. The first day when Adrien was back at school, he asked if he could walk Marinette home. She nearly exploded from happiness when he offered, but luckily Alya was there to accept the request on her behalf.

Since then, it became a trend for him to walk her home after school. Sometimes he would even come into the bakery and hang out with Marinette for a while. She would always shoo him out however when she sensed her parents were watching the two of them. She didn't want them to embarrass her in front of him, especially since things between them were still platonic.

Being around Adrien so much has made Marinette's awkwardness decrease slightly. She was fine whenever the two would walk home together and hang out but anything that was spontaneous like working on a class project together still made her flustered. She still harboured feelings for him despite agreeing to be platonic friends, so any new situation for her with him made her act like she was a deer caught in the headlights. She thought herself to be pathetic acting that way but both Alya and Chat Noir ensured her that was nothing wrong with it and with time she'd be completely comfortable around him no matter what. Chat even mentioned that he bet that Adrien didn't mind her awkwardness, but she protested and said that he probably did.

Marinette's life still wasn't perfect, but she was happy with the way things were for her. Things may seem like they were a bit crazy and chaotic for her but she was able to handle it all, and with a smile on her face and a positive outlook to boot too.

That is, until, one day when she made a horrible mistake…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** A bit of a short chapter but it was necessary~ Especially to lead things for next week's chapter, which is my favourite chapter that I've written ouo


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** Here it is everyone~ My favourite chapter that I've written for this story~ I hope you all like it as much as I do :D

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

One weekend, Marinette's parents left to attend a bakery convention out of town, leaving Marinette all alone for three days straight. This was nothing new for Marinette as her parents had been going to this convention for years, ever since she can remember. When she was younger she was left with a babysitter during the time, but for the past three years she had been left alone to take care of herself, which she has proven to be capable of.

However, this year was a bit different for Marinette. She didn't have a babysitter to take care of her but she wasn't exactly alone either. As soon as she told the leather-clad demon about her parents' trip, he insisted that he stay over "to keep her company". At first she denied and said that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but Chat Noir was persistent. She caught him standing guard over the doors and windows to the rooms that she was in. She eventually gave in and let him stay inside, realizing that he wouldn't give in and figuring that the warmth on the inside would be best for him rather than the coldness of the outside. She didn't understand why he was acting the way he was, but she didn't want to question it as she was afraid of the answer.

"Hey Chat, I'm in the mood for some anime. What did you want to watch?" Marinette asked as she curled up on the couch and began scrolling through the selections using the remote.

Chat paused from cooking her dinner, something he offered to do for Marinette as thanks for letting him stay inside, and tilted his head. "Anime? What's that?"

"You've never heard of it?"

Chat shook his head. "Not really. I heard my Dad mention that some mortals believe that it's something that would give them a one way ticket to our realm if they were exposed to it but he called that an untrue foolish belief. I never did learn what it was though."

Marinette blinked twice, being taken off guard by Chat's answer. She didn't expect such a deep and rather disturbing reply from him, but then again he was a demon so she was bound to hear something like that eventually.

She snapped out of her thoughts and explained to Chat what anime was. "In short, it's animated programs developed by Eastern studios that usually air in Japan that are typically aimed towards older audiences."

"Oh?" Chat commented as his tail began to wave about, being intrigued by the concept.

Marinette patted the seat next to her, inviting Chat to join her. "Here, I'll show you."

Chat immediately teleported to the spot, wasting no time in accepting her offer. Marinette just rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the television screen, scrolling through the listings on Netflix. "There's a bunch of genres of it too. We have Magical Girl anime like Sailor Moon, Action anime like Full Metal Alchemist, Romance anime like Ouran Highschool Host Club, Sports anime like Free, Horror anime like Tokyo Ghoul, Ecchi anime like Highschool of the Dead… please don't choose that genre."

Chat's eyes widened, seeing all of the different shows. To him, it felt like a whole new world had been opened up right in front of him. He was so enthralled by the selections that he didn't know what one to pick. He turned to Marinette. "What one would you recommend?"

Marinette pondered the question for a moment. "Well… most people start off with Naruto. I'm a little bit over it right now but I don't mind rewatching it with you."

"What's it about?"

"Well, I don't want to give too much away, but it's about ninjas."

A large smile spread across Chat's face. "I. Love. Ninjas!"

Marinette giggled, finding the display from the demon somewhat adorable. "Let's watch then!"

" _Naruto, this is only the beginning. The road only gets tougher now that you're a ninja. But if I told you that, I guess it would ruin the moment. So I'll tell you later, over ramen."_

The credits began to roll, signifying the end of the first episode about the titular ninja. Marinette paused the credits and turned to Chat. "So, how'd you like it Chat?"

The demon didn't respond to her, but the way he was was answer enough for Marinette. His mouth was gaped wide open and his eyes were the widest she's seen them, which were also sparkling. He had his arms raised and pressed against his chest, as if he was an excited schoolgirl.

"Chat?" Marinette began waving her hand in front of his face to make sure he was still with her. When there was no response from him, she sighed. "Well, I guess he likes it."

A loud beeping suddenly echoed throughout the apartment, catching Marinette's attention. She turned and saw steam furiously flowing from the unattended pot on the stove.

"MY SPAGHETTI!" she cried out as she raced over to take care of the burning food. Chat didn't rise up to help her however. Instead, he reached over and grabbed the remote and clicked the play button so that he could start up the next episode.

* * *

"Morning Chat." Marinette groggily greeted the demon, stumbling down the ladder from her room. She was met with no response from him, however, instead only hearing the sounds of a soft feminine voice and intense sounding music from the TV. She turned and saw that he was sitting right in front of the TV with his gaze completely fixated on it, still watching Naruto.

She walked over to Chat and examined him. His eyes were red, but not the red from when she first met him. It appeared as if they were dry, as if he hasn't blinked in a while. His mouth was still gaped wide open like from the previous night. She didn't notice it before but now that she was carefully examining him in an awake state she noticed that he had her gray cardigan tied around his forehead like a makeshift headband.

"Chat? Hello? Earth to Chat Noir!" Marinette tried to get her friend's attention once more, but it was a fruitless effort. She rolled her eyes, realizing that leaving Chat with the remote and the anime overnight was a bad mistake.

She waited a few moments to see if he would acknowledge her presence, but when she knew that he wouldn't, she said to him "Hey Chat, you wanna make that deal now?"

"Not now. Later." He softly mumbled in response.

"So you can hear me! That's very rude of you to ignore me like that Chat!"

"Sorry princess." he mumbled again. "Too focused on the show."

"Have you really been watching Naruto all night?"

"Yes."

"Chat, it's 11 am. You have to slow down and make the episodes last!"

"I'm fine. I looked it up. There are 210 episodes. Then there's Shippuden and the Rock Lee spinoff. I'm good for a while."

"No, I mean, you physically can't do this! It's not good for you! Demon or not!"

She was met with silence once again, causing her to sigh. She spotted the remote on the ground beside Chat. She walked over to it and reached down to pick it up, pausing momentarily to see if Chat would do anything but he was too fixated on the show to notice. She clicked the "Exit" button which caused the episode to end half way through and have the screen display the titlescreen.

"HINATA NO!" Chat cried out, reaching at the TV as if he was trying to reach for a lost love.

"No more Naruto for you for a while Chat."

"Fine." Marinette was surprised that Chat didn't argue much. However, he snapped his fingers which caused the remote to fly out of her hands and over towards him. He grabbed it and began scrolling through the selections until he popped on the first episode of Sailor Moon. "I wanted to try something different anyways."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Marinette stomped over to Chat and pulled the remote from his hands and shut the TV off completely. "I am not having you exposed to that! Your flirting is bad enough as it is, I don't need you exposed to Tuxedo Mask to influence it further!"

"Fine, fine." Chat waved his hand dismissively, taking Marinette by surprise once more with his cooperation. "That means I can show you some of the new stuff I've learned to use with my demon powers!"

At that moment, Chat Noir raised his index and middle fingers of both of his hand and crossed them as if they were a "t" shape. He cried out, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Puffs of smoke began filling the room, causing Marinette to retract her head and shut her eyes. She coughed as she waved her hand, trying to clear the smoke away from her. When it dissipated, she saw that there was five Chat Noirs in the living room, all of them smiling at her. She felt a sense of dread and despair fill her up inside, seeing all of these Chats. "Oh no."

"What do you think princess?" all five Chats said in perfect sync. "Isn't this like a dream come true for you?"

"More like a nightmare." she deadpanned.

"Let us show you something else we learned, just for you!"

The five Chats clasped their hands together and raised their middle and index fingers once more, this time pressing themselves against one another. Smoke began to fill the room once more, and once Marinette was able to see again, she saw that the five Chats had changed in appearance. The top half of their suit was completely gone, revealing buff, chiselled abs. Their face structure had changed also. They all had a more strong and defined jawline and they now had handsome, dazzling eyes. Their hair was now in a more suave style, as opposed to the messy style they had before.

All five leaned in towards Marinette and smiled, with bright shiny teeth sparkling at her. "So princess, what do you think of our Sexy Jutsu?"

Marinette still deadpanned, being not impressed by the display. In fact, she felt annoyed and a little bit offended he thought she would fall for this technique. "One moment please Chats."

She left the room, heading towards the hallway on the other side of the room and disappearing out of sight when she turned the corner. The five Chats poofed back to their regular appearance and started getting giddy with themselves.

"I bet she's going to freshen up just for us!"

"Maybe she wants to kiss us!"

"Oh totally!"

"See? I told you guys it would work!"

"You sure are a genius Chat Noir!"

Marinette returned moments later, not appearing to be any different from when she left. She still had the same unamused expression on her face. However, in her hands down below was what appeared to be a squirt bottle, which the five Chats didn't notice.

"Welcome back Princess! Welcome to the Chat room!" The five Chats joked, which only irritated Marinette further. She held up her squirt bottle and aimed it at them, causing them all to go wide eyed. "What- what's that you have there?"

"Water Style: Squirt Bottle Jutsu." Marinette said in a monotone voice and began squirting the first Chat with water, causing him to disappear in a cloud of smoke. Seeing this quickly made the four Chats panic and start to run away. Marinette managed to get another clone as it passed by her. She chased down the three, catching one on the ladder that led up to her room and another as it tried to hide in her closet.

She turned around and saw that the original Chat Noir was standing at the doors that led out to her balcony. An evil twinkle shone in her eyes as she set her sights on him. "Here kitty kitty."

"No, no! I'm good Marinette!"

He tried to pry the doors open, but they were locked, trapping him inside. He turned and saw that Marinette was getting closer to him, the squirt bottle still raised and firmly in her hands. As soon as she was just inches before him, he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Marinette sighed. "Phew, he's gone."

She tossed the squirt bottle onto her bed and made her way downstairs. "Good thing I didn't let him watch Sailor Moon. I don't need him parading around here in a Sailor Scout uniform doing cheesy poses."

She sat on the couch and grabbed the remote. She saw that the Netflix home screen was still on the anime section. She realized why his Father probably didn't tell him about anime and regretted being the one to introduce him to it because of what she went through.

She looked around. She wanted to watch some anime for herself now that Chat was gone, but she was worried he might still be lurking and that whatever she watched would influence him further. She signed out of Netflix and turned off the TV, tossing the remote aside and headed towards the bathroom to freshen herself up.

Moments after she left, black smoke floated around the couch and formed into the leather-clad cat demon that Marinette had chased away earlier, who scoffed. "Water, a demon's worst enemy. Living in hellfire for so long makes you forget it even exists. I hate when it gets on me too. Urgh."

He reached over and grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, only to be met by a login screen for the program they were using to watch anime. He chuckled. "Please. I can get in no sweat."

He clicked his fingers together, expecting the image on the TV to change to his will. However, nothing happened in response. He was baffled by this. He clicked his fingers together again, trying once more to get his desired outcome, but nothing happened. He tried clicking them multiple times rapidly, but it didn't make a difference. The television was not bending to his whim.

"No!" Chat cried out and jumped at the TV, grasping the sides of it and tried shaking it to make it work.

"Chat?" Marinette came out from the bathroom and watched as the demon desperately shook the device with tears rolling down his eyes. "Princess! My magic won't work for some reason! I can't get in! I need the password for Netflix! Please! I need more anime!"

"No more anime for today Chat. You've had enough."

"Please princess? Help a kitty out!"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But no more jutsus and we're taking breaks, understood? Or else I get the squirt bottle."

"Aye aye!" Chat said, saluting Marinette.

That was the day that Marinette learned that demon magic and human technology don't mix, and to be careful when watching anime because there might be a demon that might also be watching over her shoulder and make her regret watching it in the first place. That was also the day too where Marinette started to keep a squirt bottle of water handy, in case a situation arose where she needs to use it against that certain demon.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I wanted to write a silly little chapter to take a break from all of the seriousness~ When I learned that Adrien likes anime I just HAD to write a chapter about Chat discovering anime~ So ta-da! :D

One thing I will say too is that even though this is a silly chapter, some elements that got established play a part later on~ Which ones? You'll see ;D

Also, next week there's going to be an important Author's Note at the end of the chapter that I highly suggest y'all read ;D


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Quick little note to say that at the end of this chapter, there's a VERY important author's note that I highly suggest that y'all read~ There's a tl;dr version of that author's note at the bottom too if the length is a bit much :P I tend to get a bit wordy when trying to make things clear XD

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

"It's the most, wonderful time, of the year!" Adrien sang, as he hung orange and black streamers around the classroom. His classmates watched him with amazement; his movements were smooth and fluid, almost as if he was floating as he was decorating. Luckily, his classmates knew that it was impossible for him to. Or was it?

Marinette sat from afar and admired the blond and his enthusiasm for the holiday. Halloween had never been such a big deal before for their class, but once Adrien caught wind of this, he insisted on having them all celebrate it and refused to take no for an answer. It was apparently his favourite holiday and had a strong passion for it too.

She had to admit, the holiday seemed livelier now that he was around. Everyone was dressed in costume this year, even Chloe who was dressed up as a fabulous witch. The teacher even agreed to use the last two hour of class for the day to throw a party. Everyone had brought treats and snacks for the occasion, except for Nino. He volunteered to DJ the class's music for the party, promising only the spookiest but sickest songs for the occasion.

"Ooo!" A ghostly voiced wailed from behind Adrien, causing him to spin around. He examined the figure and began scowling, being displeased at the sight. "Hate to say it Nino but your ghost costume's kind of weak."

"Aww man!" A dark skinned hand poked out from the costume and pulled it off, revealing the boy underneath of it. "This was the best I could come up with."

"Let me see if I can help."

Adrien raced over to his desk and grabbed his backpack, setting it on the table in front of Nino. He pulled out a tub of baby powder and began puffing it all over his friend's body, causing him to look pale and ghostly. He pulled out a set of chain-link cuffs next and securely attached them to Nino's ankles and wrists. He took a moment and examined his progress thus far, realizing that there was one last touch he needed to add.

He turned over to one of his fellow classmates, who was dressed in a puffy pink dress to look like a princess. "Hey Jukela, think you can age Nino up a bit?"

The princess sighed. "It's going to be hard with that baby powder all over his face. I'll see what I can do though."

"Thank you!"

"Hey, Adrien!" Alya the werewolf spoke up, capturing his attention. "Why do you have baby powder and handcuffs in your backpack?"

Adrien blinked twice in confusion before finally answering, "In case of emergencies."

Alya wanted to argue, but she quickly realized that there was no point in it. His words held true since an occasion where he needed them did indeed pop up. It was still strange to her though.

"Now then everyone!" Adrien announced. "I have a special treat for you all!"

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a stack of magazines, holding them up in the air. "A special sneak preview of next year's Adrien Agreste-only Costume Catalogue!"

Everyone raced over, crowding around Adrien to get their hands on a copy. Marinette was tempted herself to grab one, but she felt a little shy in asking for one, especially with so many people crowding around him.

Adrien began pushing through the crowd, dusting himself off. He approached Marinette and smiled. "Hey!"

"H-hey A-Ad-d-rien." she nervously replied.

He took a quick scan of Marinette's costume, causing his smile to grow even wider and brighter than it was before. "You're a ladybug! Cute!"

"Th-thank you Adrien!" Marinette could feel her face heat up because of the compliment. She turned away as an attempt to hide it. "I was hoping you'd like it."

"I do! It reminds me of the dress when we went to the concert together!"

She couldn't admit it, but that was the exact reason why she chose the costume in the first place. She wanted to impress him with her costume choice and her plan turned out to be a success.

"I have a little something for you Marinette." Adrien reached behind his back and pulled out a rolled up magazine that he was keeping hidden. She happily accepted the item and began looking at it. At first glance, it just looked like the Halloween catalogue that Adrien was giving out to his fellow classmates but there was something extra that caught her eye. On the front cover, just beside his cover photo, was his signature that had hearts on both ends.

"Thank you Adrien!" Marinette immediately jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as thanks for a gift that she knew she'd cherish.

Just as he was about to return the embrace, he heard a shrill noise that caused him to freeze up in terror. "OH ADRIKINS!"

Chloe approached the blond as she read the magazine that she had in her hands. Her expression worried him, as it looked like she was disgusted. "Yes Chloe?"

"Do you want me to have my Dad have a talk with your manager? Why would this catalogue be given out next year? These costumes would be SO passé next year."

"Don't you know Chloe? I can make anything come back." he replied with a wink.

"Whatever." She curled up her magazine and looked at the scene that was in front of her. Her body became stiff and tight as her face became red with anger as she glared at Marinette. "And what do you think YOU'RE doing to MY Adrikins?"

Both Adrien and Marinette shared a look with each other, realizing that she hadn't broken off from her hug yet. She quickly pulled herself off and began laughing awkwardly. "S-sorry about that Adrien!"

"None taken."

Chloe stomped over to her and began poking at her chest with the magazine that was carrying, which thankfully wasn't being used as a weapon at this point. "You can forget about coming to my party tonight now! Not that I was inviting you anyways. But consider yourself double uninvited!"

"Come now Chloe," Adrien tried to reason. "It was an honest mistake. I thought your party was for everyone in class."

"Everyone except her and that fleabag over there." Realizing it was her that Chloe was referring to, Alya began growling at the woman. "Besides, I'm only throwing it for you Adrikins! You're the only one I care about!"

She began clutching onto his arm, with a tight grip. He rolled his eyes, becoming accustomed to this action but not by her selfishness. "Then if all you care about is me, then you won't mind having Marinette and Alya there, would you?"

"Of course I'd mind! They'd turn it into a total buzzkill and try and tear you away from me! I just caaan't have that happen!"

Adrien began shaking his arm, this time successfully shaking Chloe off. "Listen Chloe, you promised me everyone would come. If Marinette and Alya aren't coming then I'm not either!"

"But- I- You- URGH! FINE!" She stomped back over to Marinette and glared deep into her eyes. "But if you so much as even glance at my Adrikins then you won't live until next Halloween, got it?"

"That just gives me an excuse to haunt you year round!" Marinette quipped back at her, taking Chloe by surprise. The honey blonde woman decided to cut her loses and stomp off, deciding to join her friend Sabrina by the snack table.

"You rock Adrien!" Alya complimented, leaning over to give Adrien a high five for his actions. Marinette was disgusted by her attitude still, but was satisfied to know just how much Adrien cared for the two of them.

"So Marinette, like any costumes in there?" Marinette looked at Adrien, seeing a sincere smile on his face. "If you do, maybe I'll make an appearance in it tonight."

Marinette's face heated up once again. She took this as an invitation to pick out his costume for the night, so she began quickly scanning through the catalogue to find one for him, trying not to keep him waiting for her suggestion.

She had to admit, the costumes in the catalogue looked very authentic and believable. They all looked stunningly on the blond as well, not a one looking bad or unsuiting to him. There was quite a variety of costumes in the catalogue too, ranging from common monsters like vampires or zombies, to character themed costumes such as Spider-Man or The Ninja Turtles. She was surprised to find too that he even modelled some costumes intended for women too like princess, undead nurse, and Harley Quinn costumes. She was tempted to pick one of those for him, just to see if he'd actually do it, but she didn't think she'd be able to keep a straight face if he did actually show up in one.

As she thumbed through more pages, she began noticing that on every set of pages there was at least one demon themed costume. "You must really like demon costumes, huh?"

"You can say that demons are a passion of mine!" Adrien said with a chuckle.

"Well, you'd look good in anything Adrien!" Marinette closed her book of costumes and smiled at him. "That's what I think!"

A small faint blush appeared on Adrien's face, causing him to look away to try and hide it this time. "If you say so Marinette. I guess I'll try and surprise you then!"

"Please do!" she said enthusiastically. "I'll be looking forward to see what you choose!"

* * *

Five thirty in the evening; it was almost time for the trick-or-treaters to show up. Marinette was busy running back and forth between the oven and her parents' bakery, preparing the treats for her parents. Every year the Dupain-Chengs would give out little gift bags to the children that contained home-made sweets. Every bag contained a bunch of Halloween cookies, shaped like a ghost, a pumpkin, a cat, a witch's hat, or a skull. In addition, they also tossed in a fresh croissant and a special candy apple that they only make for the occasion. Some may say that they were being too generous with their gift bags but the Dupain-Chengs had big hearts and loved seeing the faces of the happy children when they got the special bag of treats. Their bakery was always a hotspot for trick-or-treaters to visit and no child has ever left with a frown on their face.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Marinette commented as she took the tray out of the oven. She quickly placed the sweet on the table in front of her and began blowing on her fingers to cool them down. "We need new oven mitts."

"I can provide some for you!" Chat offered, watching Marinette try to cool her fingers down and thinking she's cute in the process. She paused however, taking a moment to glare at him. "Nice try but I'm not selling my soul for oven mitts!"

"I'll take a cookie instead then!"

He began reaching over to the tray to swipe one of the sweet treats that tempted him greatly, but with lightning fast speed, Marinette grabbed the rolling pin on the counter and lightly struck his hand so that it would back off. "No Chat. I told you these are for the trick-or-treaters!"

"Surely one wouldn't hurt princess!"

"Yes. One would." she deadpanned. "My parents have a system so one can't go missing."

"Then I can take a whole batch to even things out then." He tried reaching over again, this time with drool coming out of his mouth, but he was stopped once again by Marinette and her rolling pin. "I said no Chat!"

"Come onnn! Just pretend I'm an early trick-or-treater!"

He clicked his fingers, causing his shape to transform. He was now smaller in size, almost as if he were a child. "Twick-or-tweat!"

"Nice try kitty, but there's going to be no treats for you right now."

Marinette picked up the tray, now that it was cooled down slightly, and began making her way downstairs to drop off the new batch of cookies. Chat poofed back to his normal form and began tapping his fingers on the table. "Well then, if there's not going to be any treats for this kitty then you'd better prepare yourself for one _Hell_ of a trick Marinette."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone! Here comes the stream of Halloween chapters I have, even though they're late from the actual holiday XD  
But I wanted to do something special for you all, as a special thanks for all of your support with this story! :D

 **For Chapter 19, I want you all to choose the costume that Adrien wears in that chapter!**  
I thought incorporating an idea from my readers would be nice~ And what would be better than having you all dress him up :D

 **All you need to do is comment what costume you'd like to see him wear and the most popular suggestion will be written into the story! :D**

Although I hate to say that I do have to put restrictions on what you can choose ^^;  
1) No demon costumes because of the plot ^^;  
2) No cat costumes because of the plot too ^^;  
3) No sexy/NSFW costumes (for obvious reasons ^^; )

Other than that, I believe anything else is fair game~ So if you want werewolf Adrien, I'll give you werewolf Adrien :D You want Superman Adrien? I'll give you Superman Adrien :D All you need to do is comment what you'd like to see~  
Feel free to break the gender boundary too if you want~ As long as it's not NSFW/sexy I'm game :D If you want Princess Adrien for example, I'll give you Princess Adrien :D

I guess to be fair too, **everyone can comment up to 6 costume suggestions** :D But if you can't think of six, that's fine~ That's what the "up to" is for~ So if you only got 2 suggestions, feel free to comment those 2~

/hopes that all of this makes sense but I do have a tendency to get wordy so I apologize for that XD;;

But **tl;dr version** : Comment and suggest up to six costume suggestions for Adrien to wear and the most popular suggestion will be written in for Chapter 19~ (As long as it's not a demon, cat, or anything NSFW/sexy)

Thanks again too for being so supportive everyone and hope you'll like what's going to be coming up too! :D


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Trick-or-treat!"

Marinette opened her door and was immediately greeted by a small pig-tailed princess dressed in a black and light blue dress. In one of her hands was a wand with a star as a topper and in the other was a small doll that looked a lot like her. She recognized the child immediately as the girl that she regularly babysits.

Marinette gasped. "Aww! Manon! You look so cute!"

"I'm a Puppeteer!" the child exclaimed. She placed the doll in front of her and mimicked walking motions with it. Marinette could feel her heart melt thanks to the cuteness of the child.

"That's so cute!" Marinette turned around and grabbed a bag of treats for Manon. "Here you go!"

Manon glanced at the bag of sweets and began frowning. "What about the doll?"

"Oh yes, yes, yes! How could I forget?" She turned around and reach down below the counter, pulling out a small doll that resembled a typical ghost. "Here you go Manon!"

In addition to the bag of treats that are given to every visitor, Marinette gives Manon a special hand-sewn doll every year as a bonus for the child that she looks after. It started off as a surprise the first year but became expected the years after that. Marinette didn't mind though, it always made Manon happy which, in turn, made her happy too.

Manon's eyes widened seeing the doll and immediately accepted it, clutching it tightly in her arms. "Thank you Marinette! I love it!"

"I'm glad you do! Happy Halloween!"

"Happy Halloween!"

Manon began skipping out of the shop gleefully, with both dolls in her arms and a bag of treats in her hands also. Marinette's parents huddled around her as they watched yet another child leave their shop with a smile on their face.

"Nothing's more precious than a child's smile." Marinette's father commented, having the two ladies of his life agree with him.

 _"Princessssssssss!"_

A ghostly wail suddenly echoed throughout the shop, capturing the attention of all three of the owners.

"What was that?" Marinette's mother asked as she looked around.

 _"Princessssssssss!"_

The second time around, Marinette recognized where the voice was coming from and who was making them, which made her panic. "Oh umm, I think it's coming from my laptop! Alya must be calling me! You know how Skype likes to change their ringtones for holidays!"

Without wasting any time, she ran into the house and looked around for the perpetrator. When she couldn't find him, she climbed the ladder to her room where she immediately found him lying on her bed. She was about to scold him, but seeing him in the condition he was in made her rethink her motives. He was scrunched up, almost into a ball, with his arms wrapped around his waist. His face was showing clear signs of pain.

"P-princess."

"Chat! What's wrong?!" Marinette immediately raced over closer to him. She held him by his shoulders so that he'd be still. "Chat, tell me what's wrong!"

"It's- it's happening."

"What? What's happening Chat?"

He groaned once more. "It's- It's because of Halloween! Ohhhh!"

Marinette's eyebrow raised in confusion. "Because of Halloween? What?"

"H-Halloween is the one d-day of the y-year where demons are at their st-strongest! People worship us and- … p-perform more satanic rituals on this day and- so- it powers us up."

"What's that have to do with your condition though Chat?"

"AHHH!" Chat began to pant, his exhaustion starting to become apparent. "Th-the power gets to be too much for us to control. M-Most demons just embrace it, and it's painless for them- … but if we try to contain it- we experience all levels of pain!"

"Then just let it out Chat! Don't keep yourself in agony like this!"

"Y-you don't understand." He let out more screams of agony, louder than the ones before. "We can't control the power! We become bloodthirsty, remorseless killers! If I were to let it out then- AHHH!"

Marinette's face went pale at the thought. "C-Can't you go somewhere else then until it subsides?"

Chat opened one eye at Marinette and awkwardly smirked. "You r-really want me to go out in the public when I'm on the v-verge of bec-coming a murderer?"

"What about a Church or something? Wouldn't some holy water extinguish the energy?"

Chat stiffly shook his head. "That would just purge me completely. No m-more kitty at all."

"What can I do then Chat? I want to help!"

"Just- st-stay with me. I can fight this Marinette but I n-need your encouragement to keep reminding me wh-what I'm fIGHTing for."

"Of course Chat, I'll be by your side no matter what."

Marinette grabbed Chat's hand and placed her other hand softly on top of it. She smiled at him, which caused him to too for a moment before another wave of pain caused him to cry out again.

* * *

It had been two hours since Marinette agreed to stay by Chat's side. She had to admit that being by Chat's side was one of the scariest experiences in her life. She had never seen someone be in that much pain before, and thinking of the consequences didn't ease her any. She was a bit disappointed too that she wasn't helping her parents with the remaining trick-or-treaters or preparing for Chloe's party but she didn't complain. She didn't want people to suffer and die because of her selfishness, should she leave Chat alone.

 _"I will drink your body dry of your blood mortal!"_ Chat spoke, as his eyes suddenly turned red. Marinette squealed, pulling her hand back away from him. "Chat! What- what was that?"

"S-sorry Princess. It's starting to seep through." He cried out in pain again, having his eyes turn red again once more. " _I will feast on your flesh and make a birdhouse out of your bones!"_

"Stay with me Chat!"

He began chuckling. "I'm starting to lose princess. It just… it feels so good to let it out. No more pain or worries."

"Don't say that! There's a lot riding on the line here!" She held his hands once more. "Please Chat, I know you can fight this and win!"

Horns began to sprout from the top of Chat's head that were longer and sharper than the ones he had when he first met Marinette. The colour of his eyes changed to a deep blood red and his pupils began to disappear, but he managed to fight the transformation enough to get them back.

"It's starting Princess, I can't contain it anymore. The transformation's already begun. Run while you still can!"

"No! I won't leave you Chat! I promised I'd stay by your side and help you fight this and I'm holding true to my word!"

"Thank you… Marinette." He placed his hand on top of hers and looked deep into her eyes, which were full of worry and concern. The gesture didn't last long as another wave of pain struck his body, causing him to scream out. His tail accidentally whipped at Marinette, causing her to tumble down to the ground.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Marinette said, holding her head. "Worry about yourself more Chat."

He screamed out in pain once again, this time being the strongest and loudest scream he's made. He began panting some more, feeling exhausted. He turned over to examine Marinette and scowled. "Please Princess, run away and get out of here as fast as you can. I'll try and buy you as much time as you can but I can't make it through the night."

"But-"

"No buts!" Chat began clutching his stomach. "If something ever happened to you I'd never be able to live with myself. Considering too that I have an eternal lifespan, it would be torture for me."

"Chat…" Marinette pondered her friend's words and quickly made a snap decision. She turned towards her door and ran down the ladder. She looked at her friend before she fully departed and said, "I believe in you Chat Noir."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone! :D Just wanted to thank you all for your costume suggestions from the last chapter :D I've been keeping track of them all but I gotta say, I really love seeing everyone's ideas :D I really wish could use them all but sadly I promised the most popular idea would be used so I'm staying true to my word~ But maybe some ideas could be used in future chapters~ ;D I still have a bunch of ideas for this story like Christmas and Valentine themed chapters :D

There's still time to toss in your votes too! :D Chapter 19 isn't upon us yet so feel free to suggest costumes for Adrien if you haven't already~


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Marinette rushed out from the apartment and ran down the stairs to head for the exit. She was thankful that there wasn't anyone else in the building, seeing as she convinced her parents to go to an adults only party earlier. She wouldn't know how to explain that they had to evacuate the apartment and not be able to return until sunrise.

She grasped onto the handle of the door and began pulling, but to no success which confused her. She tried pulling more and more, but the door wouldn't budge in the slightest. She tried pushing it too, but even that didn't work. It was as if something was keeping the door shut.

She turned and raced inside the bakery and tried escaping through there, but she was met with the same results. She bashed on the door, hoping someone would hear her and let her out. But unfortunately for her, there was no one around…

" _Princess…_ " a familiar voice echoed. " _Princess…_ "

"Chat…"

Hearing his voice made her think: there was one other escape route she could try. It was risky, but it was the only way she could see to get out without damaging anything of the apartment. She could run out to her balcony and try and scale the building to escape. If worse came to worse and those doors wouldn't let her out, she'd have to break them and deal with the consequences later.

She raced back into the apartment but froze at the doorway as she saw standing in front of the ladder that led up to her room. She recognized immediately them as her friend Chat Noir, but he was a lot different than when she had left him a few moments ago. His body structure had changed: His entire body was bulkier now, almost twice the size of a bodybuilder. His belt-like tail had changed into a more pointed demonic-like one. There were now wings sprouting out from behind his back, that looked like they could span across the entire room had they not been folded. But the change that frightened Marinette the most was his red soulless eyes. She knew immediately that there was no trace of her friend left in there.

"Chat…?" Marinette asked, hoping to appeal to the Chat that was inside the demonic figure.

The demon smiled, revealing rows and rows of pointed teeth. Blood began to ooze out from it as if it was drool. " _Gone."_

"I thought- I thought you were going to try and buy me time? I thought you said you would fight it!"

" _Weak._ " the demon chuckled.

"He's not weak! He's strong! He-" She stopped when she saw the demon's eyes narrow at her. It began licking its lips and began grinning. " _Hungry._ "

"I h-have some c-cook-"

The demon stepped forward and began cracking its knuckles. " _Hungry for human. Hungry for… MARINETTE!_ "

Marinette screamed from the top of her lungs as she turned around and ran away from the demon. As much as she wanted to help him, she knew that he was too far gone now. All that she could do was survive until daylight, where things would be back to normal.

The demon smiled and began chasing after Marinette, using his wings to quickly catch up to her.

She ran down the stairs to the ground floor and began yanking the doorknob to try and get out, but just like before, it wasn't budging. She could feel sweat drip down her face as she desperately tried to pull it open.

" _Not going anywhere."_ Marinette looked over her shoulder and saw the demon was right behind her, licking its lips. She heard a strange noise behind her, which made her squeal in surprise. When she turned around to see what made it, she saw that the door was covered in black flames. She looked around the area and saw that every possible exit point had black fire covering it. She realized now that this was all the demon's doing. She was stuck in here now, she was… she was…

" _Trapped."_ the demon mocked.

Marinette's knees began to get numb thanks to fear. She couldn't keep herself up any more; she had to press her back against the door to keep herself level. All she could do was stand there and watch as the demon with bloodlust in his eyes came closer and closer to her.

An object suddenly caught Marinette's attention from the corner of her eye. She thought for a brief second and decided to take action. She darted sideways and grabbed the bottle of windex that was sitting on the chair next to her. Her Mom had used it earlier to clean the windows in preparation for the night and Marinette was thankful that she forgot to put it away.

She held it up against the demon, with intent to squeeze the trigger. She wished that it was full of water instead of cleaning material, but she had to work with what she had.

The demon began to laugh again, taking Marinette's threat against it lightly. It stepped forward, calling her bluff, but that one step was all the excuse she needed.

"You've been a bad kitty!" she exclaimed just before she squeezed the trigger and sprayed the liquid all over the demon. It hissed with displeasure, having to take a few steps back to try and get out of the bottle's range. She used this opportunity to make an escape towards the upstairs, intending on trying her room once again. She hoped that the demon's influence didn't affect her balcony doors.

The demon roared angrily once it was free from the sprays and began chasing after Marinette, this time enraged with her. He didn't intend to play around with her anymore and end things right then and there. Luckily though, every time the demon got close to her, she turned around and squirted him to get him to back off for a few moments.

Eventually, she reached her room where she was met with a grisly sight. As she had feared, the doors leading out to her balcony were covered in black flames also. Even the trap door above her bed was covered in the fiery barrier. She was truly and utterly trapped.

" _MARINETTE!"_ the demon roared as it flew into her room. She held out the Windex bottle once more and tried to spray him, but she found that she had already emptied the bottle of its contents. She felt a chill down her spine once the realization hit her. She was defenseless now. The demon grinned, realizing this also. " _No more."_

She dashed over to her computer desk and pulled out the squirt bottle that she had hidden for whenever Chat would annoy her. She looked at the bottle and saw that it was almost empty in of itself, but with the plan she had in mind, it would be enough… she hoped.

She began squirting him with the water, pushing him back enough so that it would provide her with a clear path to her destination. She quickly dashed downstairs and headed towards to the kitchen sink where she unscrewed the top of the bottle and began filling it with water.

"Come on, come on, hurry up!" Her arms were shaky as she tried to fill up the bottle. She was surprised that she lasted this long against the demon. She didn't know she had so much courage within her. Being face to face with danger really brought out some hidden talents that she didn't know she had. Despite them however, she was scared out of her wits. Even though she's been faring well against him so far, her life was still on the line.

Another chill shot down Marinette spine as she sensed that the demon was behind her now. The bottle still hasn't been filled fully yet, but it was the best she could do for the moment. Her next target was the bathroom across the area. She needed to preserve as much of the water in the bottle as she could until sunrise came. So, to do this, she pulled the tap from the sink and aimed it right at the demon.

The water made a direct connection to the demon's face, which Marinette cheered about. However, that cheering didn't last long as she realized that the water wasn't affecting it anymore. He stepped forward, not minding the water at all. Panic began to set in with Marinette; she had no idea what to do now. She tried turning the intensity up on the taps but not even that was enough to stop him.

" _I said no MORE!"_ the demon shouted, causing a shockwave to send Marinette flying back against the sink's counter. Black flames began to surround the tap, causing the water to cease.

"No! No! No!" Marinette tried shaking the tap to get it to work again but to no avail. The black flames were stuck on it now like glue. She had no choice but to toss the tap away and rely on her water bottle. She tried squirting him to get him to back off but it wasn't working again, which horrified her. "S-s-s-st-tay back!"

As soon as he was upon her, the demon slapped the water bottle out of Marinette's hands, leaving her completely defenseless once more.

Marinette sank down to the ground and began backing up as far as she could to escape the demon, she didn't have far to go as she accidentally had backed herself up into a corner. She tried to flee and escape the corner but the demon stomped on the ground next to her, blocking her escape.

This was it for her. She was now face-to-face with a murderous demon that was once her friend, who had her cornered. There was no more escape routes, no more defenses, nothing left for her which terrified her. It was more than she could control also. Tears began filling her eyes and streamed down her face.

"Ch-Ch-Chat. P-please! You're in there somewhere! I- I n-n-need you right now! PLEASE!" she pleaded, trying one last attempt to appeal to the friend that was trapped inside of the demon. She hoped that her words would reach him and he would be able to take control.

The demon bent down so that the two of them were face-to-face. She could feel the demon's warm breath on her skin, which only made the sensation worse for her. She looked into his eyes but shut them when she saw the literal fire that was burning inside of them.

"Chat! Chat! PLEASE!" Marinette pleaded once more. "I NEED YOU!"

"Trick-or-treat Marinette."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Trick-or-treat Marinette."

Hearing those words, in a familiar voice too, made Marinette open her eyes. There, in front of her, was the cat demon that she had grown to love. No overgrown muscles, no wings, no red eyes, no horns, all of that was gone now. All that was left was Chat Noir, the true Chat Noir.

"Chat?" Marinette was in disbelief, she thought she was hallucinating. It didn't make sense to her how he could be there, even though she pleaded for him. She rubbed her eyes to clear out the stinging tears from them that were potentially messing with her sight. She was overwhelmed with happiness once she opened them once more and saw that nothing had changed, that Chat Noir was still in front of her. She leaned forward and grasped his body tightly. "Chat! It's really you! You had me worried!"

Chat was taken back, not expecting this reaction from Marinette. He wanted to return the embrace, but he froze up. A sense of guilt grew inside of him which told him he wasn't worthy to hug her after what he did. All he could do was chuckle awkwardly and say, "Yeah… It is me…"

Marinette pulled back and wiped away the stray tears from her eyes. "I can't believe I made it until sunrise."

"Yeahhh… sunrise…" Chat looked away and scratched his cheek, confusing Marinette. She turned over to look at her stove's digital clock and felt her heart sink when she saw the time. It was still only 10:30 at night. She had the thought that things weren't over just yet, but picking up on Chat's awkwardness and remembering what he said to her made her think something else, which was a more prevalent and plausible thought.

She narrowed her eyes at Chat Noir. "Chat, what exactly did you mean by 'trick-or-treat'?"

"Well, you know. I uhh…" Chat rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of a lie for Marinette's question. He realized though that lying would only make things worse, especially when she was already onto him. "Remember how earlier you wouldn't give me a treat? Well… I decided to umm… take that saying literally… and trick you."

"And what exactly was that trick?" Marinette deadpanned. "I want to hear it."

"To… well, scare you… by making you think… I…" He gulped. "Became a murderous demon."

"OH MY GOD! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU CHAT NOIR!" Marinette tugged at her pigtails and screamed. Hearing the truth come from Chat didn't make things any easier for her unfortunately. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!"

"Well, like I said you wouldn't-"

"JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T GIVE YOU A COOKIE GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO MAKE ME THINK I WAS ABOUT TO DIE BY DEMONIC HANDS?!"

"When you put it like th-"

"WAS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT THAT YOU GOT A COOKIE THAT YOU MADE ME MISS MY PARTY, PUT ME IN TEARS, AND NEARLY MADE ME FAINT FROM FEAR?!"

"N-no! Of course it wasn't!"

Marinette rose up and walked over to the sink, cupping some water in the now-functioning sink into her hands to splash her face with. "Do demons even get stronger during Halloween or was that a lie too?"

Chat rose up. "It's half a lie. Halloween does affect demonic kind but not in the way I described. Because demons get summoned a lot during this holiday, we quickly grow fatigued and thus make us weaker. The only thing Halloween does for us is provide us an excuse to make an appearance in this realm without raising too much suspicion."

Marinette shut off the taps and walked over to the fridge. She pulled out a clear bag from inside the container and shoved it into Chat's chest. She glared into his eyes. "I hope this trick was worth it Chat Noir. Take your treat and get out. I don't want to see you around for a while."

She pointed at the door, standing firm. Chat didn't need to be told twice, he didn't want to make Marinette angrier with him by staying or arguing with her. He walked out the door and into the streets of Paris, with his tail literally in between his legs and his head hung, all from guilt. Marinette slammed the door behind him, leaving each other all alone now.

Chat looked down at the bag and decided to look inside. In it were a bunch of homemade cookies like the ones Marinette and her family gave out for Halloween. He pulled one out and noticed that these were actually different than the ones they baked. The one he pulled out resembled his face, mask and all. He pulled out another one that was a black cat but with his hair style. The third one he pulled out really made his heart sink with guilt. It was a star shaped cookie and on it, written with icing, read "Trick-or-Treat Chat Noir!" with a smiley face beside the exclamation mark.

All of these were specially baked cookies, all for him and him alone. He realized that must have been why Marinette was so stingy about giving him a treat, because she was preparing something special just for him.

He shook his head and sighed. "Wow Chat, you really screwed up this time."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Chapter 19 is almost upon us~ If anyone has any last minute costume suggestions for Adrien, feel free to say before it's too late~


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Here it is everyone, the results of your voting for Adrien's costume~  
I gotta say, the results were VERY close, but this is the costume that came out on top with the most votes 8D Hope y'all enjoy~

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

Marinette leaned out over her balcony, her head resting in her hands. She looked up at the stars in the sky and admired their beauty. For being such a wicked night, they were shining the brightest she's ever seen them. Usually, whenever she has a lot on her mind or in times of high stress, she comes out to view the stars. They tend to have a calming effect on her.

She replayed the night throughout her mind over and over again. Questions kept floating in her mind. " _Was I too harsh on him?_ ", " _Did I have a right to kick him out?_ ", " _Will he be okay?_ " were just some of these questions, but sadly, she had no answers to any of them.

She folded her arms on the bannister and lowered her head, grumbling and groaning as she tried to figure things out. "I just don't know."

All of a sudden, she heard a series of 3 knocks on the door behind her. With her parents still gone and everyone else being at Chloe's party, there was only person who it could've been, and there was one thing for certain for her at this point: She didn't want to see Chat Noir until she figures out her answers.

"Go away Chat!" she cried out, hoping that the demon heard her and leave her be. Unfortunately, another series of three knocks occurred, causing her frustration to grow. "I said go away!"

There was a short pause, but she heard three more knocks soon afterwards. Even though she didn't want to see him before she had her answers, she marched over to the door to tell him to go away right to his face.

She grasped the knob and said, "I said go a-"

"H-hey there Marinette. Bad timing?"

Marinette was wide-eyed with surprise. Her whole body froze up as soon as she saw who was knocking on her door. It was none other than Adrien Agreste, but he appeared to be quite different than usual. Draped across his shoulders was a black and red cape, with a collar that covered most of his profile. Underneath the cape, he wore a white long sleeved shirt that had ruffles near the neck lining. He also wore black dress pants and shoes to go with the costume. The area around his eyes appeared to be much darker, to make him look sinister. What was the most notable feature though was that his teeth had become pointier and there was a red substance covering his entire mouth and part of the teeth. She assumed it was meant to be blood but from the looks of it, all it was was just ketchup or potentially tomato sauce.

Apparently Adrien had selected his costume for the party, and that costume was none other than a vampire outfit.

"Good evening, Ms. Dupain Cheng." Adrien greeted, mocking a Romanian accent.

"A-A-Ad-drien!" Marinette stammered, being taken surprised by his sudden appearance. "Wh-what are you d-doing here? I thought you were supposed to be at the party?"

"I came to suck your blood! Mwahaha!" he jested. Normally, Marinette would play along with the charade, but her playfulness had been drained completely for the night and perhaps for a while, all thanks to a certain demon.

Her right arm began to tremble, the feeling of anxiety and terror starting to return back to her. She thought that she had calmed herself down enough, but apparently the nervousness of being around the blond vampire might be reverting her progress.

She spun around and walked away from Adrien, not wanting him to see her in such a state. She began holding her arm so that the trembling wouldn't be noticeable. She wanted to say something to him but found herself unable to.

"In all seriousness Marinette, I came to check up on you."

"Ch-check up on me?" she managed to squeak out. "Wh-why?"

Adrien dug into one of the pockets that was on his cloak and pulled out a small piece of paper. He entered the room and handed it to Marinette. She was a bit confused at first, but accepted the paper and began reading it. In red letters, the paper said " _Go to Marinette, she needs you._ "

"I- I don't understand." she stated, re-reading the paper over and over again, trying to make sense of the whole situation.

"I got that from some guy at Chloe's party. He was dressed in some black leather cat costume or something. He just came up to me and handed it to me."

"Chat." she said underneath her breath, realizing the situation and the gesture the demon was trying to make. She stopped trembling and began to calm down.

"He also told me to deliver a message to you as well." Adrien continued. "He said that he's really sorry for what he did and hopes that this makes it up to you."

Marinette began to smile, a sense of warmth and happiness filling her up inside. "It does Adrien, it does indeed."

The two remained still for a moment in complete silence as they thought. Marinette was the first to make a move by beckoning Adrien out to her balcony. He followed suit and stood beside her as the two looked out onto the night sky and the streets of Paris.

"Are you alright?" Adrien asked, breaking the silence. Marinette looked over and noticed the concerned expression on his face. "I don't know what happened but I hope you're not hurt."

She shook her head. "I'm mostly fine. Just a few bruises from a few falls. It was just a Halloween prank gone wrong."

"So that's what happened." Adrien began to chuckle. "That makes sense now. I was wondering why you weren't at the party. I missed you Marinette."

"Y-you did?" Marinette said, feeling her face heat up with blush thanks to Adrien's words.

"Of course! It just wasn't the same without you."

"I- umm… eep. Th-thank you?"

Adrien chuckled, finding Marinette being flustered cute. When he said it to her too, it only added more to the feeling. He sensed that she couldn't take much more and decided to change the topic. "So, is there anything going on between you and that cat guy if you pardon my asking."

"Oh n-no, not at all." Marinette responded, waving off the question. "He and I are just friends. Nothing to worry about!"

"I see..." He took a moment to reflect on her words, and then began smiling. "You know, it's a shame. He is quite handsome."

"You're more handsome than he is." Marinette quickly retorted, causing Adrien to blush also. "Th- thank you."

The two of them continued to look out onto the city in silence, trying to manage their feelings for the other. Adrien shifted a bit closer to Marinette and placed his hand on top of hers. Internally, Marinette began freaking out with happiness but she tried to keep herself under control. She couldn't help some small, muffled squeaks from escaping each moment that she realized that he was touching her.

After a few more moments, she began curling her fingers so that they were intertwined with his. Before the two knew it, they were holding each other's hands, and neither one wanted to let go.

"You know Adrien, between you and my friend, this Halloween has been crazy. But I'll never forget it either."

"I'll never forget it either Marinette."

At that moment, in the starry sky that was above them, they saw a bright flash of light fly across the atmosphere.

"Quick, make a wish!" Marinette exclaimed. She bowed her head and made a wish on the star. Adrien was rather confused but tried to follow along as best as he could. As soon as the two were finished, they both looked at each other and laughed.

"I've never seen one of those before." Adrien said as he chuckled.

"Oh, that's a shooting star. Apparently if you make a wish when you see one, it'll come true."

"Fascinating." he said, looking back up at the night sky. "You know, I've always been fascinated by space and everything in it. It's such a wide open area that holds so many mysteries. I always get surprised whenever I learn more about it too."

Marinette began to giggle. "I feel the same way. Everything about space is just so… beautiful to me."

"All of the stars in the sky couldn't compare to your beauty."

Marinette's face immediately turned beat red once again from Adrien's compliment. She wanted to return the compliment or thank him for it, but all she could do was let out squeaks, which Adrien found cute and humourous.

The grip the two had on each other began to tighten. Marinette began to lean onto Adrien momentarily, enjoying the sight and the moment with him. Adrien felt the same way, and cherish each and every moment with her.

Eventually, he looked down at Marinette and asked, "Marinette, would it be alright if I could… kiss you?"

Marinette's heart began to race at the question. "K-kiss? Y-yes please. I- I m-mean, sure!"

He chuckled for a moment and began to lean in, closing his eyes while doing so and puckering his lips. Marinette was over the moon with happiness. She couldn't believe it, her wish was coming true!

She leaned in and braced herself for what she knew would be the second happiest moment in her life. However, a sudden realization suddenly hit her. She wanted to fight the thought and let what was about to happen happen, but she couldn't shake it and realized it would be better to wait.

She placed her finger on Adrien's lips and gently pushed him back. "S-some o-o-oth-th-er t-t-time."

"Oh. I'm sorry Marinette. I didn't mean-"

"No, no, no! It's fine Adrien! Really! It's just-… it's just…" A sense of guilt and shame began to fill Marinette up inside for the words that she was about to speak next. "The b-blood."

"The blood?" Marinette began pointing at her mouth, causing Adrien to touch it the same area and realize that he still had his fake blood all around his mouth because of his costume. "Oh! Right! Sorry!"

"No, it's fine! Maybe we could take a rain check? Sometime when you don't have ketchup or sauce or blood or whatever on your face?"

"Sure." the vampire said with a smile. "Another time for sure."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I so do not apologize for that ending XD  
But I wanted to thank you all for the suggestions for Adrien's costume this chapter 8D I really appreciate them and had a lot of fun reading your suggestions too 8D To be honest, there were a couple of suggestions that I _really_ wanted to do but I promised the top result, and that's what I delivered 8D  
Although~ If y'all don't mind, I may use a few suggestions for future chapters~ In fact, one of them might be coming up reaaal soon :3

If anyone's interested in the results too, these were the top scoring suggestions:  
Vampire (7 votes), Sailor Moon (6 votes), Naruto (6 votes), Superhero (5 votes), Pirate (4 votes), Angel (4 votes)

Thanks again everyone! 8D And hope you enjoyed the chapter :D Next chapter will be the start of the Christmas chapters~ And I gotta say, I went reeeally deep with them :3 Hope y'all will like :3


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

It was December 23rd, just two days before Christmas. Marinette was hard at work for her present for Adrien. Just before school got out for the holidays, she extended an invitation for Adrien to come over which he happily accepted. Luckily for her, he didn't know why he was being invited so her gift will be a complete surprise to him.

The past few days were surprisingly quiet for her. Chat Noir wasn't stopping by as often as he usually does and when he did, it was short visits. He seemed to be a bit off to Marinette. He didn't flirt or play tricks with her or beg her to watch anime. He just came, sat down and zoned out for a while, then left. It was strange to Marinette but she thought it was because of the holidays. They usually tend to make people act different after all.

"BLARGHHH!"

Marinette jumped at the sudden unfamiliar sound taking her by surprise. She heard it a second time and realized it was coming from downstairs. When she went down to investigate, she found Chat Noir in her bathroom. He was hanging over the toilet, panting. The sides of his mouth had small black flames around them.

Realizing that she was there watching, Chat weakly turned his head and tried to smile. "H-hello p-p-rincess."

"Chat, what's wrong with you?"

"J-just a little h-holiday sickeness." Chat turned back to the toilet bowl and threw up a stream of black flames into the container. "That's all."

"Yeah right. I've heard that one before. You're trying to get me back, aren't you?"

"G-get you back?" Chat rested his head on the toilet seat. "F-for what?"

"For turning off Sailor Moon last time you were here watching it."

Chat didn't answer right away. He waited a few moments before responding, trying to collect some energy so that he could argue with her. "… That was still uncalled for."

"You were parading around my room in a Sailor scout uniform!"

"WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE THE MAGICAL GIRL I WAS BORN TO BE MARINETTE!"

"THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I TURNED IT OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

At that moment, Chat threw up once more, spurting out the biggest bunch of flames Marinette's seen him throw up. He weakened himself too much from yelling at Marinette, which gave his illness an opportunity to take over and make him feel worse than he was feeling already.

Marinette peered into the toilet bowl, out of curiosity. She saw that the flames had complete control of the toilet. The water inside the bowl was completely evaporated and there were scorch marks all around the inside. She hated to think it, but she had a feeling she knew what she would have to spend her Christmas money on this year.

"… It doesn't matter anyways what I was born to be." Chat began to speak as soon as he was able to. "I was a mistake in the first place."

Marinette's face softened after hearing Chat's words. She began to believe that Chat wasn't faking his illness. She was still cautious in case it was like something he pulled for Halloween, but she wanted to lend an ear to her friend to try and make him feel better.

She hopped up and sat on the sink, looking down at her leather-clad friend. "Wanna tell me about it Chat?"

"What ab-bout? The f-flames or being a m-mis-take."

"Both."

Chat scowled. "What I'm ab-bout to say next is the t-truth p-princess. I swear it's not a joke."

Marinette nodded. "I'll choose to believe your words Chat."

Chat clicked his fingers, causing a small bottle to appear in his hands. Marinette saw that the bottle had the words "Pepto Demonol" written on the label. The demon unscrewed the top and shook out a small red pill into his hand. He plopped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. "That should give me enough relief to explain everything to you."

"What was that?" Marinette asked as she tilted her head.

"Pepto Demonol! Good for nausea, heart burning, being digested, an upset stomach or dying. It can also treat holiday sicknesses too." Chat answered happily. Marinette merely shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, not understanding the joke Chat was making, if he was making one. He looked at the bottle and frowned. "I've been trying to make these pills last. I'm down to my last two and can't exactly get more."

"I take it you refill it down there?" Marinette began pointing down below her. Chat nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, and since I'm not allowed to go back until I get your soul-"

"I'm not selling my soul to get you some pills Chat."

"And I don't expect you to princess! Besides, seeing your beautiful face is the only medicine I need!"

Marinette deadpanned. "Explanations please Chat."

"Right, so December holidays are like a poison to us demons. It gets worse day by day and it starts becoming unbearable when it gets close to Christmas."

"How can it? Everyone always full of happiness and Christmas cheer around this time!"

"And that's what the poison is." Chat's stomach began to rumble, but he began holding it which eased it slightly. "It's more or less that the air is full of holiness. And as you know, holy power and demons don't exactly mix well."

"So that's why you've been throwing up flames into my toilet?"

Chat nodded. "Yeah. The holiness is forcing the demonic energy out of my body. It'll stop once December 26th comes, but until then, it's literally hell to exist in your realm. And trust me, I know what hell's like so that's not an exaggeration."

" _It's literally hell to exist in your realm._ " Marinette had to admit, hearing those words made her feel guilty. She still didn't want to sell her soul but at the same time, she didn't want her friend to suffer as much as he was. Even though he gets on her nerves sometimes, she believed that he didn't deserve the pain that he's going through.

"Is there not any other way you can get rid of your pain?"

Chat shook his head. "The only way is to either stay in Hell until December 26th comes or to take the pills. There's only one demon that's strong enough to survive in your realm without them through the entire holiday. He goes by the name 'Krampus'."

Marinette pondered the name for a moment. Krampus… she's heard of the name before being tossed around before by a few of her classmates but couldn't say she knew who this demon was.

"He's like the anti-Santa." Chat answered once Marinette asked further about Krampus. "He terrorizes young children who've been naughty at Christmas. You mortals had a horror movie made about him recently. He was offended by it."

"S-sorry?" was the only response Marinette had to Chat's words. The demon just waved her apology and chuckled. "You're good Marinette, don't worry. He said he's paying the Hollywood executives a special visit this year."

"Uh-oh."

"Besides, even if he did come, then I'd make sure you protect you!"

Chat began to flex, trying to impress Marinette with his muscles, but the act was lost on her. "You won't be very useful if you're sicker than a dog."

"Even still! I'd protect you with the last of my strength! I purromise you!"

Marinette rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So now tell me about what you said earlier."

Chat began to tense up. He laid his head back down onto the toilet seat, pretending to be sick. "I don't recall."

"You said you were a mistake Chat. Which, I don't agree with. You aren't a mistake, but I want to hear why you think you are and help you through it."

Marinette sensed Chat's reluctance when he didn't respond right away. She leaned forward and placed her hand on top of his. "Please Chat, I want to listen and help."

The demon sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you. But it isn't a pleasant story."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

" _It started many years ago, long before I was born, at a college where my mother attended. My mother… she was young but also pretty naïve. She was offered to join a sorority-"_

"A what?"

Chat shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. They're some of club or something made up of other girls I guess."

Marinette nodded. "Go on."

" _She was offered to join a sorority but she had to complete an initiation._ "

He paused and began to grimace. " _On Halloween night, the other members performed a demonic ritual to 'initiate' her. According to my Dad, they believed that if she was worthy to join them, a demon would appear and give them its blessing._ "

"Does that actually happen though?"

He shook his head. "Normally when mortals perform rituals like these, demons will terrify those who summoned it so it prevents them from performing anymore. Sometimes… blood is shed to achieve that."

"That's horrible!" she gasped. A thought suddenly flashed into her mind which caused concern to form. "You haven't…?"

Chat shook his head and smiled. "Nope! Don't worry! Everyone in Hell has their own roles to play. I'm a demon who conducts business, as you know already. Usually they aren't summoned through rituals, unless the intent was to sell a soul."

"And this sorority wasn't trying to sell your mother's soul?"

"Nope. They easily could've if they wanted to but they weren't those type of people… I don't think at least."

" _Anyways, they were successful in summoning a demon but they got more than they bargained for. They summoned the Devil himself. They summoned… my Dad._

 _Normally he wouldn't appear, but that night our forces were stretched so thin that he was left with no other option. Obviously he was annoyed, so he made himself visible to the women and threatened to slaughter them all._ "

"Did he?"

Chat shook his head again. "He was on the verge of it but my Mother stopped him."

"She stopped him?"

"Yup." Chat answered as he nodded. " _While all of the other women screamed and ran away, she stood still and refused to back down. She piqued my Father's curiosity and his rage was quelled momentarily. He tried to scare her, and get her to run away like the others, but still stood firm in her position and barked back at him. Normally he would've torn her head from her neck right then and there, but he actually found humour in her attitude towards him._ _She began laughing too and at that moment, the two began to talk and bond._ "

"Awe! That's so cute!"

Chat began to chuckle slightly. "Yeah, I guess it was cute."

" _The two of them… spent the night with each other._ " Chat coughed, feeling awkward from the words he said. Marinette felt the same way and urged Chat to skip forward. " _Realizing her mistake in the morning, my mother fled. When my father woke up, she was gone. He was left with a broken heart too._ "

"Aww!"

Chat nodded. "Even though they only knew each other for one night, my Dad got attached quickly. A lot faster than I did with you my lady."

"Like father like son." she commented, rolling her eyes.

" _She didn't mean to hurt him, but she panicked. A couple of weeks later, she realized she was pregnant…_ "

"I see where this is going." Marinette jumped down from the counter and wrapped her arms around her demon friend. "You weren't a mistake Chat, no matter what she said."

The sentiment from Marinette's act really got to Chat. He could feel tears well up in his eyes, but he fought through them and pushed her away. "You have the wrong idea Marinette; she never told me I was a mistake."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" Marinette felt her face heat up from embarrassment. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's all cool princess!" Chat's tail was waving about and he was smiling, which indicated to Marinette that his words were true and that he wasn't trying to spare her feeling. "I mean, it makes sense in context but there's more to the story."

"I'll wait and listen then before responding now."

" _She actually raised me much like any mother would raise their child. When I started showing signs of my demonic side, she actually embraced them but only in private. She taught me how to control them and use them in secret. She was a good mother._ "

Marinette nodded. "It really sounds like she was."

" _But then… one fateful Christmas Eve when I was 15, she was an unfortunate victim of a shooting at a mall. She was caught in the crossfire and died._ "

"Chat…"

"So needless to say, the Christmas holidays take quite a toll on me, both physically and emotionally."

Chat tried to laugh off his pain, but Marinette noticed that his tail wasn't wagging anymore, just remaining dormant on the floor. Even without the tail, the way he spoke felt… broken. She knew he was suffering internally. She leaned in and hugged him again, hoping that the action would help alleviate some of the pain. "I'm sorry you went through all that Chat."

She suddenly felt warm drops of liquid fell on her back, but she didn't mind. She knew exactly where they were coming from and would let her entire outfit get soaked if it meant that Chat would feel better afterwards.

When he was able to, he returned the embrace and finished his story, never letting go of Marinette while he spoke. " _I didn't have any other family or anywhere else to go. Child services were going to put me into a foster home until I became an adult but my Father came and got me before they could._ "

 _He despised my mother entirely. Any mention of her made him disgusted and I was a reminder of her. Despite that, I was still his son and he wanted to raise me so that's what he did. He raised me as his own and only his own. He tried to make me forget everything my mother taught me, he made me deny my human side and tried raising me as a full-fledged demon. For a while there, I believed that's all I was. I lost my humanity thanks to him and I hated what I had become._

 _It wasn't until I was left to do my job on my own when everything came out. Up until that point I had been hesitant to my job and let my Father finish it for me. The most I ever did was help the humans get the most out of their deal. But then… that day… it was left up to me completely. I wasn't prepared for it but my father forced me into it. I still remember his words clearly. 'Go, be the demon you were born to be and make me proud.'_

 _I burst into tears and began yelling at him. Part of it was from fear, the other part from frustration. I said some things I shouldn't have but it never fazed him. It wasn't until that I mentioned that I wanted to go see Mom that I got a response. He said to me 'You were a mistake' and stormed off, leaving me alone. Then I just- I just-…_ "

Chat's breathing became erratic and his body began shaking, his emotions finally getting the better of him. Marinette began patting his back to try and get him to calm down. "Shh, you're not a mistake Chat. I still believe that."

"It just hurt to hear him say that Marinette." He tugged at her clothes tightly, needing something in his hands to hold onto to help him through everything. "So I vowed to prove to him I wasn't a mistake. But then I met you; the only other person I knew who knew I was a demon but didn't treat me like one. You reminded me of my humanity… you reminded me of her. That's why I got so attached to you."

"I see."

"He knows about you too… he knows how you've been treating me. He doesn't trust you at all; he's convinced you'll run away like my Mother did to him. He keeps reminding me that I'm a demon too and that we won't work out at all."

"Not that there's anything to work out." Marinette quickly piped in. "I'd say he's just being an overprotective father but he also sounds like he's abusing you emotionally. I've never met him so I can't exactly say one way or the other."

"At this point, I don't know either…"

All of a sudden, Marinette loosened her grip on the demon and pulled him away. However, she placed both of her hands on his shoulders and looked him deep into his eyes, smiling at him. "There's one thing I do know Chat Noir, and that's you're not a mistake. I'm glad you were born, because if you weren't then we wouldn't be friends!"

"Princess…"

"I have to get back to work on something right now but if you want to talk some more, you know where to find me. I'm always here for you Chat."

Chat wiped away a few tears and smiled. "Thank you princess!"

She rose up and made her way to the bathroom exit. She paused momentarily and looked back at Chat. "One other thing Chat: Despite what I said earlier, if you feel like you were born to be a Magical Girl, I support that. Just save all the energy for the bad guys, got it?"

"Got it!" he beamed as he chuckled.

"Just remember, you were born to be whoever you want to be. Never forget that."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~  
Hope I didn't kill you with Chat's backstory |D  
Just wanted to let y'all know that there won't be an update next week. Things for me have been hectic and tiring so I need a week off ^^; Sorry ^^; Holiday craziness and all that XD;;

To make it up to all y'all, I will say that there's going to be a bunch of fluff coming very very soon~ For both Marichat and Adrienette ouo  
Hope you all will like what I have in store~

See you all in 2017! ^o^


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** Happy 2017 to you all! :D Hope everyone's holidays have been well~  
Thank you all for being patient with this chapter too~ Holidays are a busy time for me so I needed some time off to catch up on some stuff ^^; Plus I wanted to spend some time with my best friend since her schooling will be keeping her busy until the springtime ^^; (Feel free to check her out too~ She's Yumi-chan Hamano on here~)  
Hope that these next trio of chapters will be worth the wait though :D

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

"HE'S GOING TO BE HERE SOON! HE'S GOING TO BE HERE SOON!" Marinette shouted from the top of her lungs as she frantically scurried around her bedroom, trying to get herself ready for her guest's arrival. She looked between her closet, her desk, and her bed, trying to decide what to do first. Should she make sure his present was ready? Should she get dressed first? Should she clean up her room in case he asked to come up.

As she panicked, Chat sat in her desk chair, spinning himself around as he watched the sight. "You're going to be fine princess! If you need more time, why don't you just text him?"

Marinette paused, thinking about Chat's words for a brief moment. "I can't, it seems rude! What if he has a schedule to stick to? I don't want to get in the way of that and make him mad at me!"

"I'm sure he won't mind!"

She glared at Chat and scowled. "You don't know that. You've never met him."

Hearing her words, Chat stopped spinning in the chair and thought. All he was able to mumble out as a response was a "Riiiight."

"MARINETTE SWEETIE!" Marinette's mother called out from the floor below. "WE'RE GOING OUT NOW!"

"THANK YOU MOM! LOVE YOU TWO!" Marinette called back. She waited for a moment to confirm that they left, and as soon as she heard the door slam she continued back into her panic driven frenzy.

She raced over to her closet and searched through her outfits, trying to find one that would be appropriate to wear but none caught her eye. She pulled a few out and began tossing them behind her, hoping that the free space she was making would reveal something hidden deep within her closet.

One of her red dresses fell on top of Chat's head as he spun around the room. He picked it up and looked at it. "Gee, for me princess? It doesn't match my eyes."

At that moment, the colour of his eyes changed from an olive green colour to the red that matched the dress. "Nevermind."

She looked back and rolled her eyes. "Not for you Chat."

He tossed the dress away and began leaning in the chair. "Why not just wear what you have on?"

She paused and turned around, deadpanning at Chat. "Yes, great idea Chat. I will wear my pyjamas. How formal."

Chat shrugged. "I see nothing wrong with it."

"Shouldn't you be throwing up in my toilet or something?" she asked, continuing her search through her closet.

"Not for another hour." Chat beamed. "I took some Pepto Demonol earlier. I'm planning on saving the last pill for tomorrow so I can enjoy a bit of Christmas with you!"

"That's really sweet of you Chat."

Marinette flashed her friend a warm and friendly smile, then searched once more. Eventually, she pulled out her signature gray blazer and pink jeans and sighed, feeling defeated. "This feels too plain and obvious."

"I'm sure it doesn't matter princess! I think you'd look great in anything!"

"Thanks Chat."

She approached the demon and rubbed underneath his chin for a few seconds as a sign of affection. It didn't take long for Chat to begin purring. He took in all of the affection and enjoyed each second of it.

"Okay now get out." Marinette said as she stopped rubbing him. Chat gasped and tried to make his eyes big and watery, trying to convince her that he could stay. The effect was lost on her however. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Not like that Chat. I need to put on my pants. I can't do it with you in the room."

"Say no more princess!"

And just like that, Chat disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving Marinette all alone.

Without Chat distracting her, she quickly changed into her clothes and began contemplating the next course of action. Before she could though, she heard a series of knocks on a door below her. She let out a small gasp, realizing that it was time.

She quickly grabbed a wrapped box on her desk and raced all the way down to answer the door. As soon as she opened it, she found Adrien waiting outside in the harsh winter's night. He had his hands tucked underneath his arms, trying to keep himself warm. There was a bit of snow collected in a pile on the top of his head.

"H-h-hey th-th-there M-M-Marinette."

"Come on in Adrien!" She stepped aside and waved Adrien in. He thanked her and came inside. He shook off the snow as she shut the door and started embracing the warmth. "That feels so much better! It's a little too cold for my taste."

"You're welcome here any time to warm up Adrien!"

The two made their way upstairs until they were in Marinette's living room. Luckily, Marinette had anticipated how cold it'd be and had her mother make some hot chocolate just before she left.

She handed Adrien a cup and sat beside him. He took a sip from the cup and quickly became surprised. He let out a delightful hum and took another sip from the cup. "This is delicious Marinette!"

"Thanks! My Mom made it for us."

"Well, please extend my compliments to her as well!"

"Will do!" Marinette replied with glee.

The two both took another sip from their cups in unison. They noticed how synchronized they were and giggled at the coincidence. As soon as Adrien started feeling warm he put his cup down and directed his attention to Marinette. "So, what did you invite me over for?"

"Oh! Umm… umm…"

Marinette grasped the present beside her, feeling a bit nervous about giving it to him. She took a deep breath and offered it to him, closing her eyes since she was worried about he'd react and didn't want to see the results. "M-Merry Christmas Adrien!"

Adrien took a look at the present and smiled. "A present for me? You shouldn't have Marinette. Thank you."

As soon as he accepted the gift, Marinette let out a sigh of relief. Her nervousness and anxiety had got the better of her once again, but it was all for nothing. She had nothing to worry about.

"Who's Chat Noir?"

Marinette's body quickly stiffened as soon as she heard the words from Adrien. She checked his expression to see if he was joking, but the serious look on his face showed that he wasn't.

She quickly took back the present and checked the tag. She let out a small squeak realizing that she had grabbed the wrong gift!

"Oh my gosh Adrien I'm so so sorry! This was meant for someone else! I grabbed it on accident!" Her face began to turn red from embarrassment. "I swear I do have a gift for you!"

"It's okay Marinette, I believe you!" he replied, waving his hand back and forth to try and let Marinette know it wasn't a big deal.

She let out a sigh of relief and started to calm down. She took a quick look at the present and smiled. "Chat Noir… is actually my cat's name. I got him something for Christmas and grabbed it on accident."

"I didn't know you had a cat."

"Oh yeah!" Marinette laughed. "He's a weird one. He comes and goes, likes to stick to the shadows. I play with him and feed him sometimes but he's a real sweetheart!"

"Sounds like you have a pretty good cat there." Adrien said, smiling from hearing her words.

"Yeah… I do." Marinette thought for a moment and nodded. "Adrien, do you mind waiting down here for a few minutes? I want to give my cat his present. I'll bring yours on the way down while I'm at it too. I promise this time!"

Adrien chuckled and nodded his head. "Sure Marinette. I don't mind at all. Take your time."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Chat? Chat!" Marinette called out, trying to look for the demon. She looked around the room, trying to find him but there wasn't a trace of him to be found.

She took a few steps forward, intending on checking the outside for him but she heard a door open behind her which caught her attention. She looked and found the demon popping out of her closet, wearing her red flared dress with the black polka dot pattern on it, the same one that she wore on her date with Adrien. His hair was, for some reason tied up, in pigtails.

He flashed a prideful smile at her and said, "What do you think princess? Don't I look _miraculous_?"

She took a careful look at him. Normally she'd laugh at his silly antic but this time, she sighed and shook her head. "Chat, that's my good dress! Don't stretch it out!"

"Don't sweat it princess!" He clicked his fingers and the dress disappeared off of his body and appeared back in the closet. "See?"

She rolled her eyes. "What were you doing in my closet in the first place?"

"Your room was a mess. Thought I'd clean up a bit and give you a little Christmas surprise!"

"I can't with you." she said, but a small smiled formed on her face as she said it. She walked over to her bed and sat down on it. "Speaking of Christmas surprises, I have a little something for you Chat."

"Something? For me? Oh you shouldn't have!" Chat mocked. He chuckled for a moment and sat down on the bed beside Marinette. She held out her gift to him which he happily accepted. He teared it open and looked in the box. Inside was a small silver heart shaped locket with the letters "C N" on it.

Chat's mouth gaped wide open, mesmerized by the beauty of the locket. "Princess… you shouldn't have."

"I can't give you my soul Chat Noir, so you'll just have to settle for a heart instead!" She giggled for a moment, and began pointing at its side. "There's actually something inside of it too if you take a look!"

Chat looked at the locket inquisitively. He wondered what could be inside of it. He clicked the side where she was pointing and caused it to open up. He folded it open and let out a gasp when he saw the picture that was inside. Tears began to well up in his eyes at the sight. He looked at Marinette. "H-how did you-"

"That is her, right?" she asked. When Chat nodded his head, confirming her question, she continued. "I know how you said it was hard not having your Mom around for the holidays. So I went on the internet and searched for victims of mall shootings like you described and found her."

"But… I never told you her name."

She shook her head. "You didn't need to. There were a few results that matched from what all you told me and figured that it must've been her."

"H-… how?"

Marinette placed her hand on top of Chat's and looked him in his eyes. "You have her smile Chat."

Chat looked back at the locket and fixated his gaze on the picture of his Mom. He placed his finger on it and wiped away a smudge that was on it, giving him a clearer sight of the picture. His body began to shake, becoming emotional from the gift. He immediately reached out and grabbed Marinette and pulled her into an embrace, crying on her shoulders. "P-PRINCESS! MARINETTE! TH- THANK YOU! I- I-"

"Shh, let it out Chat." Marinette said, patting his back. "Let it all out."

The two remained like that for a few moments, the other not wanting to let go. Chat needed the embrace as comfort for him while he let all of his emotions out and Marinette wanted to make sure that the demon was alright before she broke away. She knew that Adrien was waiting downstairs, but the mental well-being of her friend was more important to her.

As soon as Chat's tears began to stop, he pulled away from the embrace and wiped away what remained. "Th-thank you Marinette."

"You're welcome Chat." she replied with a smile. "There's actually a part two to your gift."

"Part two?"

A sly smile formed on Marinette's face. She narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to Chat. The demon could feel his heart pumping a mile a minute and it only sped up the closer that she got. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips, anticipating what she was about to do.

He suddenly felt an arm wrap around his neck, which caused him to be pulled into her even faster than before.

"Say cheese!" she said, taking the demon by surprise. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a flash of light burst in front of him. He let out a small cry of pain and began rubbing his eyes. As soon as his vision restored, he saw that Marinette was tapping on her phone with a frown on her face. "This won't do at all…"

"What was that?"

"Your second part!" Marinette replied gleefully. "I wanted to take a picture with you and get it developed after the holiday's done and put it in your locket."

She tapped the small empty space on the other side of the locket. "This way Chat, you'll always have the two people that love you most stay close to your heart."

"Princess… I… I really don't know what to say."

"Cheese Chat." she giggled. "Say cheese and don't forget to smile this time!"

Marinette wrapped her arm around Chat's neck again and held her phone up. The two of them smiled at the device as the picture was being taken. As soon as it was, she examined it and smiled. "There we go, it's perfect!"

"Just like you Marinette. Just like you…"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"Well, I have a guest I need to attend to!" Marinette said as she stood up, grabbed Adrien's present, and walked to the ladder that led out of her room. She turned back to check on Chat and saw that he was still staring at the locket. "Are you going to be alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I will be."

"Call me if you need me then Chat. I do have company over but I do want to make sure you're alright."

Just as she took a step down, Chat called out to her and made her stop. When she turned to see what the matter was, she could see that he was rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and looking down to his side. "Marinette I…"

Being unable to muster up any words, he clicked his fingers and caused a wrapped box to float in front of Marinette. She stared at it, confused, but she eventually reached out and held it in her arms. Chat gave her a faint smile and said "Merry Christmas Marinette. O-Open that when you're with him. Trust me; it'll be a two part present if you do."

The choice of words made Marinette question what he meant but she trusted his intentions and nodded. "Got it. Thank you Chat!"

"N-no problem my lady."

As Marinette returned back to the living room, Chat looked back down at his pendant, fixating his gaze on the picture of his mother. His smile grew wider as memories of his mother flashed in his mind. Finally, he said to it "I haven't seen you in forever."

"Adrien? Adrien?"

Hearing the name being called snapped Chat out of his daze. He had completely forgotten about Marinette's guest. He clicked his fingers together and disappeared in a poof of black smoke.

"Adrien!" Marinette called out once more, not finding the blond boy anywhere. Her heart began to sink, the thought of him leaving becoming overwhelming to her. She thought perhaps that she spent too much time with Chat and made Adrien leave.

She sat down on the couch and buried her face in her hands, trying to calm herself down before her thoughts got her riled up. She felt horrible that something like this happened. She was so excited to give Adrien his present but

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a flush coming from one of the other rooms followed by the sound of running water. A few seconds later, a door opened up and Adrien stepped out of it. He saw how Marinette was and immediately raced to her side. "Hey, Marinette, are you alright?"

Taking relief in knowing that he hadn't left yet, Marinette's spirits were quickly lifted. She nodded at him and smiled. "Yeah, sorry! I thought you left."

"Sorry about that." He began rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I actually had to run to the bathroom. You weren't back yet and I couldn't hold it any longer so umm…"

His words began to trail off, embarrassed to continue his thought. Marinette caught on and brushed away the thought. "It's fine! So, would you like your present now?"

"Sure!" Adrien said as he smiled. He began chuckling as Marinette reached for it. "Are you sure you have the right one this time?"

"I don't know. You are Adrien Agreste, aren't you?"

Adrien's eyes went wide at the question, feeling like Marinette has caught on to his little secret. However, she giggled which confirmed to him that she was just teasing so he let out a sigh of relief.

"Of course you are! Here you go!" she said as she handed him the present. He happily accepted it and carefully unwrapped it, only to find that the gift was a bright blue scarf. He held it up, impressed by how it looked. He felt the fabric and found that it was quite soft.

"Wow Marinette! This is amazing! Thank you!"

Her cheeks started to turn slightly red, happy that he liked her gift so much. "Y-You're welcome Adrien. I heard you mention to Nino that you were looking for a new scarf for the winter so I th-thought that it'd be p-perfect for you."

"It is perfect! I couldn't have asked for a better scarf!"

He took another careful look at the scarf, admiring the details of it. He spotted a line of stitching near one of the ends and began to examine it. "Marinette… that's quite interesting to have on a scarf."

"Oh!" Marinette perked up hearing his words. "I actually made the scarf m-myself. I usually like to put my name in the stitching so they know it's an original Marinette design, in case someone tried to steal it. It's almost like a tag; just it doesn't get in the way and rubs against your body!"

She laughed awkwardly, feeling flustered for the mouthful that she spoke. Adrien didn't mind however. He wrapped the scarf around his neck and smiled at her. "That's very thoughtful and considerate of you Marinette! You really have a keen eye for fashion you know that?"

"Oh, it's n-nothing."

He shook his head, denying her words. "No, it's not nothing. I feel like you'd have a great career in fashion design!"

The redness of her cheeks intensified. "Y-you really think so?"

"Of course! In fact, I'd love to model some of your designs someday! Perhaps we can even make a whole catalogue dedicated to your designs!"

"I- I- I-"

She buried her face in her hands, trying to hide her blush from him. She couldn't handle everything that he was saying. She was sure that her face was completely red at this point. Normally she could accept the compliments but when it came straight from the person that she loved, going as far as to saying to make a full catalogue out of her designs, she just couldn't take it.

Adrien chuckled, finding Marinette's response adorable. He patted her on the back to try and ease her. "It's alright Marinette. Think on it. We're still young and still in school. The offer's always open."

She slowly rose up and nodded at him.

The two of them began chatting for a little bit, talking about school and what they plan to do for their winter vacation. Eventually, Adrien noticed the other present that was beside Marinette and asked about it.

"Oh, that?" She picked up the present and held it. "That was actually given to me by a friend. He umm… he told me to open when you were around."

"I see. I wonder why that is. Did you want to open it right now?"

"Sure!"

She carefully peeled away the ribbon that tied the present together and pulled open the lid. She looked inside and immediately froze up seeing its contents. Her face immediately became as red as it could be. She put the lid back on the box and pushed it away. She sat still, looking almost completely still.

Adrien tilted his head, confused by Marinette's response to the present. "What was it?"

A large and awkward smile formed on Marinette's face. She was a little too embarrassed to tell him what it actually was and said instead, "Nothing…"

"Wow, that's some friend of yours. Giving you nothing and telling you to open it around me." Adrien jested. Marinette couldn't help but giggle at his joke as well, but she still felt stiff and awkward from seeing what it was. "No… it's just umm…"

She let loose a sigh, contemplating what to do. She just decided to get it over and done with and show him what it was, knowing full well that she'll be questioned later on and the answers would make her kitty very disappointed in her.

She reached around and put the box in front of her. She reached in and pulled out the present. Adrien took one look at it and began laughing, having to hold his sides thanks to it.

It was a pink baseball cap with the word "Princess" written across the front. However, there was a twist to it. There was a branch hanging out from the top of the cap and on the other end of the branch was a bunch of mistletoe dangling in front of hat.

"This is so embarrassing." Marinette said, burying her face in her hands once again. Never in her life would she have thought she would get such a gift. Heck, she didn't even know something like this even existed. She questioned whether or not Chat just created it on the spot. Either way, she was definitely embarrassed by it.

After Adrien finished laughing and wiping away a few tears, he placed his hand on Marinette's knee to comfort her. "It's fine Marinette. Your friend was just looking out for you. You did say that he wanted you to open it with me around, right?"

"Y- yeah…"

"In that case…"

Adrien picked up the hat and placed it on Marinette's head, careful that it didn't disturb her pigtails. As soon as it was firmly on, she turned to him and saw that he was smiling. "There we go. That looks a little bit better."

The bunch of white berries now hung between the two of them. Marinette knew exactly what this meant too. It's a tradition for two people to kiss each other once they're caught underneath the mistletoe, which was the situation that the two found themselves in.

Marinette brushed her hair back, slightly nervous but also excited for the kiss.

Adrien looked deep into her eyes, his smile growing wider. He asked, "Are you okay with this?"

She nodded at him. "Y-y-yes. I-I'm a little nervous but I-I-I'm f-f-fine with it."

"I promise to be careful then." he said as he began holding her chin.

The two of them closed their eyes, readying themselves for what was about to happen next. Marinette felt excitement flow throughout her as she anticipated the kiss. Her heart raced faster and faster until suddenly, she felt the warm touch of his lips press up against hers. A huge feeling of happiness burst inside of her, elated that she finally got the kiss that she desired from the person she loved.

It felt so warm and passionate to her; she never wanted it to end. However, after a few loving seconds, Adrien pulled back and opened up his eyes to check in on her. "Are you doing okay?"

She began to hum with happiness. "Yes, I am."

"I'm glad." he said with a smile.

"That's exactly how I pictured it." she admitted. Adrien's smile grew wider hearing her say that. "I'm glad I didn't disappoint then."

"You definitely did not." she hummed again.

"Can I tell you something Marinette?" She nodded in response to his question. "That was actually going to be my Christmas present to you."

"Awe!" she leaned forward and hugged him. "That was the best present I've ever gotten."

"Merry Christmas Marinette." he said, returning the hug. "And thank you for everything too."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Adrinette confirmed! :D Or is it ouo  
Let's just say I have certain plans in store for the next few chapters~ ;D

Thought I'd also mention too: I'm going to do a series of Valentine's Day themed chapters then we'll get back into the demon stuff :D I have some pretty interesting plans for it too that I hope y'all will like~ ;D


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Ever since that fateful Christmas, things between Marinette and Adrien haven't been the same. One could even say that they grew more distant between one another.

The night that the two had kissed, just after they shared the intense and passionate moment with each other, Adrien felt a sudden wave of nausea come over him and he had to leave Marinette's apartment in a hurry, leaving her confused and slightly heartbroken.

Luckily, Marinette's family managed to cheer her up once they returned and the three spent a merry Christmas together. Chat, in the meantime, found a closed theatre to spend the holiday in while his body expelled the holiday illness. He sang Christmas carols to himself to try and keep his sanity while he was suffering. Thankfully, as soon as midnight hit, the illness completely disappeared and he was feeling back to his usual self.

He felt guilty for having Adrien run out on her so suddenly, just after they shared their first kiss. So that afternoon, he called her up as Adrien and tried to apologize. Much to his surprise, she understood and accepted his apology right away. They chatted for a while until Adrien said he had to go so that Chat could return back to his princess's side.

Since that call however, Marinette's attitude had changed. She didn't talk about Adrien as much as she used to and bringing up the topic around her made her feel a little gloomy. Being around him too made her feel distressed and she tried to make up excuses to get away from him.

Chat noticed this change too and tried to press Marinette for information but every time he did, she would just pretend like she didn't hear him or tried to change the topic. There was a time where he knelt in front of her and told her that he's there for her and that she could tell him anything. But she looked away and told him "I truly appreciate that Chat, but I can't talk about this… I feel like it's a silly thing to be upset about but it's something I can't talk about right now. Please, just give me time to get over it."

Chat could see at that point that she was beginning to tear up. He wanted to press her further, just to see how badly he screwed up with his Adrien persona, but he was a gentleman and wanted to respect her wishes. So what he did instead was he gave her a hug to comfort her which thankfully worked. It didn't change her attitude any, but she did feel slightly better.

One chilly night though, on the first day of February, Chat Noir decided to take some time off for himself. He knew Marinette had a test the next day so she wouldn't leave the house and thus, would be safe from his Father's wrath.

He spent the time replaying his earlier interactions with Marinette as Adrien and tried really, really hard to figure out what went wrong but he couldn't think of anything. It was driving him insane not being able to figure out what it was.

However, in a shop just below the rooftop he was on, he noticed something in the window. It was a heart shaped box of chocolates with the word "Valentine" written on the front. This sparked an idea in him, which made him smile. His tail began wagging as he said, "If I can't figure out what Adrien did wrong then I'll have him make it up to her, no matter the reason!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Boy oh boy, what did Adrien do that made Marinette so distant towards him if it wasn't because of the illness~ ;P It's gotta be a real doozy ;3

I actually should give a head's up too: There is actually a very very good reason for it in the next chapter, but I might have overexplained it a bit ^^; But I'll have an author's note at the end that will explain it clearly just in case~  
Just thought I'd give y'all a head's up so that y'all can prepare yourselves ;D


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note:** Here it is~ I hope the plot point makes sense :P If it doesn't, there will be another author's note at the end that will explain it a bit better :P

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

It was February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day. The holiday where couples take the time and celebrate their relationship and each other. As well, the event gives the single people an opportunity to express their love to the person they admire and hopefully become something more with that person.

At school, all of the students were all hard at work on their assigned exercises while the teacher was out making photocopies for the next day's work. All except for one young man. Adrien Agreste. He stared lovingly at Marinette and watched as she wrote in her notebook, his heart full of admiration for the woman.

"Look at her Nino, isn't she beautiful?"

"Dude," Nino nudged at Adrien's side and winked at him. "You must have got hit hard with cupid's arrow."

Adrien began to blush, but tried to shake it away. "I'm just a little excited about tomorrow is all. It is Valentine's Day don't forget!"

"I haven't forgotten dude! I already have plans to spend it with Alya!"

"Finally going for her I see." Adrien teased as he nudged back at him. Nino just laughed and agreed. "Yeah man. I figured it was about time. I plan on kissing her tomorrow too."

"Seems like I wasn't the only one that was hit by cupid's arrow."

Nino just chuckled and shook his head at Adrien's joke, feeling slightly flustered by it. "So what do you and Marinette have planned?"

He shrugged his shoulder. "No idea yet. I haven't asked her out yet. I'm planning on asking her out after class."

"Ask… her out?" Nino began cocking his head in confusion, which in turn made Adrien confused by his reaction. "Yeah… I'm asking her out. Like, asking her out on an official date. I don't understand why you're confused."

"Dude, I should've told you this earlier but here in Paris we don't exactly 'ask' anyone out."

Adrien's expression dropped in light of this new information. "What?"

"What we do here is we chill with the other person for a while then if someone kisses the other then they become an official couple."

" _Official. Official._ " That word rang through Adrien's head. His face went pale as he finally realized what he did to make Marinette so distant towards him. The scene became vivid in his mind as he recalled the incident, which happened during his phone call with Marinette.

 _"So, Adrien, I guess this means we're official now, huh?"_

 _"Official?"_

 _"Oh umm… well… you know… our kiss… Just… yeah."_

 _"I'm not following."_

 _"…"_

 _"Marinette?"_

 _"It's fine Adrien, don't worry. It's nothing."_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"Oh yeah, don't worry, don't worry. I'm good. Just something silly I was thinking is all. No need to concern yourself."_

 _"Well, if you say so."_

 _"So… what umm… what did you… get for Christmas…?"_

"Dude? Dude?" Nino said, waving his hand in front of Adrien's face, trying to snap him out of his trance. "You okay dude?"

Adrien shook his head and finally snapped back to reality and turned to Nino. "Nino… I… I… I didn't know that's what it meant!"

"Dude, chill, chill! It was an honest mistake. You're a transfer student after all. There's no way you could've known. I bet Marinette realizes this too."

The pieces were finally starting to come together for Adrien. To Marinette, a kiss meant more to her than just a warm and passionate moment between two people who the other had crushes on. To her, it meant the beginning of an exclusive relationship. But due to his ignorance, he didn't understand the full impact on his actions and he must have accidentally shattered Marinette's heart when he didn't realize they were an official couple. That must have been why she was so distant to him too. Even though she knew it was an accident, his ignorance probably felt like a stinging rejection to her and being around him only made that feeling worse.

"Dude… I have to make this right with her!"

"Yeah man, it's never too late. Just ask her to spend Valentine's Day with you like you planned and then explain your situation. She's pretty chill so I'm sure she'll understand. Then, if you do want to make it official, kiss her again and make it officially official!"

Adrien nodded, a determined smile spreading across his face. "That's what I'll do!"

The two returned back to their studies. Adrien began speeding through his work so that he'd have nothing holding him back for when the class bell rings.

However, little did he know that someone else had plans of their own.

Nathaniel, one of Marinette and Adrien's classmates, arose from his seat with his sketchbook firmly in his hands. Sitting on top of it was a little heart shaped card with the word "Marinette" written on it. He took a deep breath and began walking down the stairs, intent on approaching Marinette.

Adrien noticed him and the card on top of his notebook and immediately stiffened up defensively. He whispered underneath his breath, "Oh no."

"Hey, hey there M-Marinette." the red head began, shuffling his feet and rubbing the back of his head from nervousness. Marinette turned around and flashed him a friendly smile. "Hey Nathaniel!"

"So… as you know, Valentine's Day is tomorrow and umm… I made something f-for you."

Adrien narrowed his eyes at scene and began whispering underneath his breath. "Oh no you don't."

He clicked his fingers just as Nathaniel grabbed the card to hand to her. It slipped out of his hands and floated down towards the ground.

"Oh s-sorry about that Marinette."

As Nathaniel bent down to pick it up, Adrien snapped his fingers again, this time causing Nathaniel's sketchbook to slip out of his arms. With yet another click, the contents inside spilled out and scattered all across the floor.

"Oh no, no, no! This can't be happening!" Nathaniel said as he desperately tried to collect the loose sketches.

"Hey Nathaniel!" Chloe cried out from her seat, capturing the class's attention. "You know where an artist like you belongs? On Fumblr!"

A couple of the other students began to laugh along with Chloe as she mocked him. Nathaniel looked around the classroom in a panic. In reality, it was just Sabrina and Kim that was just laughing with her but to him it felt like the whole class was against him. He was embarrassed and the longer the laughing continued, the more intense the feeling was for him.

"Here Nathaniel, let me help you." Marinette said as she bent down and began collecting some of his drawings for him. He turned and looked at her, noticing a bright and sincere smile on her face that gave him a sense of worth and comfort. However, he could still hear the laughter that was being directed at him which only fed more to his embarrassment.

He took the pages from Marinette's hands and scooped up what he could from the ground and began running out of the classroom, feeling unable to be around her or in the class.

Adrien had to admit, he didn't intend for things to go as far as they did. All he wanted was for Nathaniel to slip up and be too flustered in front on Marinette to interact with her, not make him the laughing stock of the class. He felt guilty for what he had done, but he justified to himself that it was necessary to do. He told himself under his breath "No one is going to take my princess away from me."

"Poor Nathaniel." Marinette said with sympathy. She turned and glared at Chloe, who was still giggling. "That wasn't nice Chloe!"

"Oh please, he should be more careful if he didn't want to be made a fool of!"

All Marinette did as a response was sneer at her, and then turned her attention to the floor. She began collecting the loose pieces of paper that he had accidentally left behind, intending on going after him to return them and checking up on him.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she looked at a couple of drawings as she picked them up. A lot of them were sketches of her in various different angles and poses, all very flattering to her. There were a couple of others too of other classmates like Alya with a flower crown and Adrien with a pair of demon horns. No matter what drawing she saw though, she was amazed by his talent.

The last piece she picked up was the valentine that he was going to give her. She saw her name written on the front, surrounded by various little hearts. She opened it up and found that inside were little doodles of her head as well as Nathaniel's and it said "Will you be my valentine?"

"Nathaniel…"

She added the valentine to her collection and began racing out of the classroom and catch up to him. She looked back at Alya and said to her "Tell the teacher what happened! I'm sure she'll understand!"

"You got it girl!'

Adrien watched as Marinette sprinted out of the classroom, a frown quickly spreading across his face. He wanted to go after her and ensure nothing would happen between the two, but he knew it would probably look suspicious if he did chase after them. For the time being, he went back to his work and carried on with his plan as normal. He trusted that things between the two wouldn't develop. After all, he knew that she had no interest in Nathaniel whatsoever.

About twenty minutes later, the bell rung which indicated to the students that class had finished for the day and they all could go home. Adrien immediately sprung up from his seat and raced out of the room to track down Marinette. Despite having faith that nothing would happen between her and Nathaniel, he couldn't help but worry.

He ran around the school, trying to find a trace of either Marinette or Nathaniel. Eventually, he found the both of them outside of the building. As soon as he saw them, however, he dropped his backpack in shock. His eyes were gazing on a sight that he couldn't believe he was seeing. Marinette was currently in the middle of an embrace with Nathaniel.

Nathaniel pulled away and held her hands in his. "Thank you Marinette. May I pick you up at seven o'clock?"

"Seven o'clock sounds lovely Nathaniel!"

He smiled with delight. "I'll see you tomorrow then, valentine!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey everyone~ So as I mentioned twice already, just wanted to explain about the whole "official" thing :P  
I actually was linked a Tumblr post by my close friend (that I sadly can't find anymore X_X) that actually said that the French have a different way of "dating". Like I had Nino explain, apparently you hang out with a person for a while and then if you kiss them, you become an official couple~ I googled its legitimacy too and it turns out that it is a thing~ So I wanted to incorporate that in the story~  
So since Adrien's a transfer student (from the Crossroads/Hell but he claims America) I thought that maybe he didn't know what a kiss really meant to Marinette :P So when he didn't know that it meant they were official, I felt like Marinette would become too flustered/embarrassed to tell him and felt like rejection to her, and even though she knows that he didn't know, she can't help her feelings ^^;

The Tumblr post too actually mentioned too that that's why Adrien in the show is so insistent against Chloe kissing him (because that would make them official apparently) and why a kiss between Marinette and Adrien may take longer than expected :P  
I realize that there was the Ladybug and Chat Noir kiss in Evil Cupid but I feel like they got away with it because it was to break a spell :P

I hope that this is all making sense and that I'm not just adding to the confusion XD;;  
I'll try and explain it better in a future chapter if there's still confusion :P


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Chat spun around in Marinette's desk chair, with a large frown on his face. He was silently protesting the date that Marinette was preparing for, but all that it did was provide Marinette with solace while she got ready.

"Hmm, what do you think Chat? Think I should go with the blue dress this time?" she asked her demon friend as she held up two dresses, the same ones that she considered when she went to the concert with Adrien. Chat remained silent and glared at the dresses whenever they were in his sight.

Marinette let out a sigh and put both dresses on her bed. She walked up to Chat and held the chair to prevent it from spinning anymore. She looked down at the demon and said to him, "Okay, what's wrong?"

He turned his head and pouted, not wanting to dignify Marinette with a response. Her face scrunched up with concern as she realized just how upset she was with him. She knelt down and placed her hand on his knee. "Please Chat, talk to me. Did I do something to make you upset?"

Chat let out an explosive sigh and shook his head. "No princess. It's just… are you sure about hanging out with this 'Nathaniel' person on today of all days?"

"Is that really what this is about?"

Chat nodded his head. "You haven't talked about him much and you said you don't see anyone in the class the same way as you do with Adrien so why did you even agree?"

Marinette looked down at the ground and began frowning. "Normally I wouldn't have agreed. But he got embarrassed yesterday in class by Chloe. I didn't have the heart to say no to him after that."

Chat's eye twitched, realizing that karma was biting him in the butt big time. If he hadn't made Nathaniel spill his stuff then none of this would be happening. But that's what he did and now he was dealing with the rather unpleasant consequences.

"As for Adrien," Marinette continued. "… I don't think he feels for me the way I feel for him. I don't think he'll ever see me more than just a close friend."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Chat blurted out, surprising both Marinette and himself. He stammered as he tried to explain his action. "Urgh… I mean… I'm sure that's not the case."

Marinette sighed and shook her head. "At this point Chat, I honestly don't know."

She rose up and collected her dresses, examining both of them before storing the red and black spotted one in the closet. "What I do know though is that Nathaniel does seem to have an interest in me. So… maybe it's worth giving him a shot. As much as I love Adrien… perhaps I was meant to be with Nathaniel?"

Chat's eyes widened immediately upon hearing her words and he began to panic. "No! I'm sure you were meant to be with Adrien I'm sure of it! I bet if you call him up right now, he'll prove it to you!"

Marinette shook her head. "I doubt it. Chances are he's spending Valentine's Day with Chloe. Perhaps those two were meant to be together as well."

Chat began to gag, the thought of him and Chloe together making him nauseous. He choked back the flames and turned back to Marinette, but realized that she had disappeared. He began to panic slightly, thinking that perhaps something happened to her while she was distracted but he heard a door slam from downstairs and realized that she must have went to get changed.

He began thinking while she was away. He knew he screwed up big time, and he did want Adrien to make everything up to her but he was concerned because of this date. What if Nathaniel kissed her and they became official? He wouldn't have a chance then.

He considered perhaps ending this charade and reveal to her who Adrien really was. Then perhaps it would change her mind and the two of them could live happily ever after instead.

"So Chat, what do you think?"

Chat snapped out of his trance and looked at Marinette. His face heated up when he saw just how gorgeous she looked in her long blue dress. He had to turn away as he couldn't bear the sight any longer. "Y-you look as gorgeous as always princess."

"Thanks kitty!"

She approached him and began scratching underneath his chin, but it didn't affect him at all this time. She saw how stiff he was and grew concerned again. She bent down and spun him so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "Chat, you seem to be more concerned about this date than you should. Is there something you know that I don't?"

"Princess I-… I…" There were many things Chat could say in that moment. He could confess his love to her, he could reveal his identity, he could do both at the same time. But as he stared deep into her shining blue eyes, he realized that he couldn't do it. He just looked away and mumbled to her. "It's nothing princess. I hope you have fun on your date."

She stroked his hair and smiled at him. "If you're worried about your father attacking me while I'm out with Nathaniel then don't worry, I'll be fine. I can handle myself."

Chat's eye twitched a little more, as he didn't even consider the threat of his father while Marinette was out. It was going to be dark that night, and she'd be out alone. Her only protection would be Nathaniel, and he knew that it wasn't enough.

Marinette rose up and turned around, intending to collect the remaining items before she left. However, as she took her first step, Chat grabbed her hand and stopped her in her tracks. She turned around and saw Chat was staring at the ground, looking grim and depressed. He said to her, "Please, Princess, don't do this. Don't go."

She looked at Chat's hand and felt guilty. She's seen Chat like this only a handful of times, and each time they were always serious so she knew that he wasn't playing around with her. She didn't know why he was like this and it had her greatly concerned.

However, she heard a knock on the door down below her. She knew exactly who it was too.

"I'm sorry Chat." She slipped her hand out from his grasp. "But it's too late now."


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to make a quick mention about something :P Marinette and Nathaniel are 16 by this chapter, which is why they're allowed wine~ (16 is apparently the legal drinking age in Paris~)

So yeah~ I know the canon is 13-15 for their ages, but I figure by about this time in this story they'd be around 16 :P Just wanted to establish that before getting into the chapter :P

* * *

 **Chapter 28**

Chat curled up in a ball as Marinette's words echoed in his mind. " _I'm sorry Chat. But it's too late now._ "

Marinette saw the state that her friend was in and felt guilty for having to leave him like this. However, she made a prior commitment to someone else and didn't want Nathaniel to feel even worse too if she cancelled on him at the very last minute. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, and as much as it hurt her to leave her friend like this, she had to stick with her morals. She promised Nathaniel first and so that's who she had to give priority to.

"Chat, if it's any consolation, when I come back we can talk about whatever you want." She flashed him a warm and friendly smile. "But I have to go. I really am sorry."

Chat offered no response and just remained silent. Marinette just awkwardly collected her purse from her bed and began departing. She looked back at Chat and said to him, "See you soon kitty."

He was silent and motionless, just listening to the sounds as Marinette greeted Nathaniel and left with him. As soon as he heard the last door slam when she exited the building, he let out an explosive sigh and slumped down in his seat. He cursed at himself for not preventing Marinette from going out or not telling Marinette any of his truths when he had the chance to. Just, everything from the past couple of days got to him and he was now powerless to do anything about it now.

Or was he?

All of a sudden, a sinister thought appeared in his mind, which caused his lips to curl into an evil smile. He stood up and said, "Well, if Marinette insists on going out on this date, then I'll make sure she won't go out on a second one."

* * *

About half an hour later, Chat Noir found the two sitting outside of a café. It appeared as if the intent was to have a romantic candle-lit dinner outside by the stars. Chat scowled at the sight as he hid in the shadows, wishing that it was Adrien there instead of Nathaniel.

The two started laughing, which only infuriated Chat more. Luckily, a waiter came over with a bottle of wine which caused an idea to form in Chat's mind.

"For the lady?" the waiter asked and Marinette nodded. The waiter leaned over and began pouring it into her glass. As he did, Chat prepared to snap his fingers but began to freeze up. His eyes fixated on her beauty and became entranced by it. There was no way he could bring himself to do what he was about to do.

"And for the sir?"

But he had no problem doing it to Nathaniel.

As soon as the waiter bent down, Chat clicked his fingers which caused the bottle in the waiter's hands to shake. Wine began to splash in the air, with a bunch of it finding home right on Nathaniel's clean white shirt that he wore underneath his tuxedo.

"Oh no, no, no, I am so sorry!" the waiter said in distress. Chat watched on with amusement as the waiter frantically tried to clean off his shirt, but to no success. In his hurried panic, the waiter actually made it worse. Chat couldn't help but take amusement in the sight. An already disastrous event was made worse, and in his favour too.

"It's okay, it'll wash out." Nathaniel said, waving away the waiter. He looked down at his shirt and surprisingly began to smile. "You know, the pattern here actually looks quite artistic."

"You know, it does!" Marinette exclaimed as she examined it. "It looks like one of those art paintings in the Louvre."

"Ah, I am fortunate then it worked out in your favour sir." The waiter bowed at Nathaniel, feeling relieved that he wasn't in trouble. "However, please allow me to take 10 percent off of the price of that bottle as an apology."

"That's kind of you, thank you."

Chat scowled as the waiter walked off. He couldn't believe it, his little trick actually made the night better. He was determined though to make his next attempt work.

* * *

It was a while before another opportunity presented itself for Chat Noir. For most of the night, Nathaniel and Marinette had mainly been talking to each other, mainly about school or art or fashion. It caused Chat distress having to listen to them yammer on, and it pained him even more when she laughed.

He had to admit, he was tempted to take control of the candle fire that was in between the two. It would solve all of his problem right away. However, he had to fight the temptation as he knew that if the fire got out of control, it would be a disaster for a bunch of innocent people. He didn't want that to happen at all, no matter how badly he needed the dinner to end. Besides, if Marinette ever found out about the fire, he doubted that she would ever forgive him.

Luckily though, he didn't need to resort to using fire. There was a woman who was about to walk by the restaurant and in her hands was the key to ending the date once and for all.

"Come on, just a little closer." Chat said, as he watched the woman walk closer to the two.

Nathaniel noticed at the corner of his eye, a large fluffy brown poodle coming towards them. He smiled at it as it came closer. As soon as it was beside him, he said "Hello there."

"Gotcha!" Chat said, then snapped his fingers.

Something began to stir inside the poodle, causing it to growl at Nathaniel as it slanted its eyes at him.

"Be free my beast. You have a bone to pick with him." Chat said again, clicking his fingers once more. The leash that the woman held slipped out of her hands, which gave the poodle absolute freedom. It immediately pounced on Nathaniel and pinned him to the ground.

"Easy there, easy there!" Nathaniel said, raising his arms up in defense, but it didn't do much. The poodle grinned its sharp teeth at Nathaniel, just waiting for him to do something to make him snap.

"Maka! What's gotten into you!" the woman cried out. She grabbed her leash and began tugging at it to pull the poodle off, but the dog was too stubborn to move.

"Bad dog!" Marinette cried out and began spraying the dog with a squirt bottle. The dog set its sights on Marinette and the more she squirted at it, the angrier it got.

"Oh geez, no, princess! Don't do that!" Chat held his head as he shook it. He snapped his fingers, which caused the dog to settle down almost immediately. It turned back to its owner and began bouncing excitedly, wanting to return to its walk.

"I am so sorry for this." the woman said at Marinette and Nathaniel. "Usually Maka's such a nice dog. I don't know what got into him."

"No harm done." Nathaniel said as he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck.

The woman apologized again and took her leave, with her dog beside her. As the two passed by the invisible demon, Chat glared at the dog and said "I always knew dogs were useless."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry to kinda leave the chapter half way through the dinner, but it was getting a little bit long and I thought Chat dissing dogs was a good place to end it~ He really does not like dogs XD;;


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

"Are you alright Nathaniel?" Marinette asked, as she offered her hand to Nathaniel. He laughed awkwardly and accepted her help. "Yeah. I apologize for that. Dogs don't seem to like me much apparently."

"Or cats." Chat said, deadpanning.

"It couldn't be helped." Marinette said, with a reassuring smile on her face. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"All thanks to you. You really saved me Marinette!" His eyes shifted down to the bottle that was in her hands, which piqued his curiosity. "Where did you get that from?"

"Oh this?" Marinette quickly stuffed it in her purse and began laughing from embarrassment. "I have a cat at home who's a little too playful sometimes so I keep a bottle on me at all times, in case he decides to follow me when I go out."

"You have one lucky cat Marinette." A small blush formed on Nathaniel's face. "Because it gets to be able to spend time with you."

Chat made gagging noises, disgusted by Nathaniel's sentiment. However, it seemed to work on Marinette as she made an "aww" sound and began brushing her hair back behind her ears. Chat saw this and knew it was a bad sign. Once again, another incident he caused made the two grow closer.

* * *

A little while later, Nathaniel and Marinette's dinners had finally arrived. For Nathaniel, he had the classic dish known as Duck A L'Orange; a dish with a serving of duck that was surrounded by a few orange wedges that was covered and swimming in a succulent sauce that no doubt enhanced the favour of the dish. Meanwhile, Marinette had ordered a special dish known as Vegetables a la Barigoule, which was a dish with assorted vegetables such as snow peas, baby carrots and various types of onions that were all soaking in a vanilla broth.

Chat watched as the dishes were being served to the couple. His stomach began to rumble, becoming hungry just from the sight of them. He tried to quell his stomach's calls and focused on the task at hand.

Both Nathaniel and Marinette took a bite of their dish simultaneously and made a delighted hum from how delicious it was to them. Seeing this caused Chat's stomach to rumble even more, making him wish that he had some or if he could join them.

"Marinette, have you ever had Duck A L'Orange before?" Nathaniel asked a few moments later.

"I can't say I have." Marinette replied, laughing awkwardly from embarrassment.

"You have to try some then!" Nathaniel said enthusiastically. He stabbed a small piece with his fork and held it up, cupping his hand underneath the utensil so that the sauce wouldn't drip onto the tablecloth. "I-if you want to I mean."

"Sure!"

"They're feeding each other now? Yuck." Chat commented as he stuck his tongue out at the display. He tried to look away as it happened, but a thought came across his mind as Nathaniel leaned closer to Marinette. He had the perfect opportunity to ruin the dinner for sure. However; it meant that Marinette had to suffer in order for it to happen. He was reluctant; no matter how badly he wanted it to end, he didn't want Marinette to suffer in the process.

The food inched closer and closer to Marinette's mouth, which lessened the window opportunity for Chat. He had to make a decision and fast.

"I'm… I'm sorry for this princess." Chat said, just before he closed his eyes and snapped his fingers.

As soon as they clicked, the piece of duck fell off of Nathaniel's fork and onto the table. It then quickly bounced from the table and headed straight for Marinette's dress, leaving a smear of sauce where it impacted her. It slowly began rolling dress the front of the dress, leaving a trail of sauce in its wake and completely ruining the dress.

"My dress!" Marinette cried out in surprise.

"H-here, let me get that for you."

Just as Nathaniel grabbed a napkin to try and wipe the sauce off, Chat snapped his fingers once more which caused Nathaniel to bump the table with his leg, causing Marinette's drink to topple over and spill on the lower part of her dress.

"N-no! Not again!" Nathaniel said and raced around to Marinette's aid. The two of them tried to clean off her dress but they were a little too late. The soda and sauce had already soaked into her dress and left marks on the dress.

"M-Marinette, I'm so sorry! I ruined your beautiful dress…"

"It's fine Nathaniel!" Marinette said as she tried waving away the situation as if it was nothing. "Mistakes happen."

"Score!" Chat Noir cheered.

To both of Marinette and Chat Noir's surprises, they began hearing the sounds of soft sobbing coming from Nathaniel. He slumped down to his knees and buried his face in his hands.

"Nathaniel, Nathaniel, hey, don't cry." Marinette said as she bent down and placed a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder to comfort him. "It's alright, really. It's just a dress after all."

She tried flashing him a small smile to try and cheer him up, but he never looked up to see it. He was ashamed, not just from the situation but also for crying in front of her too. He couldn't help himself though; his emotions were overwhelming him.

"It's not just the dress…" he mumbled from his hands. "It's this whole night. Nothing has gone right… I wanted to give you a special night Marinette but all I've done is made a fool of myself. I'm so sorry…"

"Nathaniel…" Marinette lightly grasped Nathaniel's wrists and guided them away from his face. Once they were down, she held his chin and lifted it up, using her other hand to wipe away some tears from his face. "I don't care about a special night. I was having fun just having dinner with you. Sure, things may not have gone as expected but nothing ever does. Trust me… I know. But none of this has changed my view on you. You're not a fool Nathaniel. In my eyes, you're still the same person I've always seen you as; and that is a really talented artist and also a really sweet friend."

"Th- thank you Marinette."

The two remained still, in complete silence as they looked deep into each other's eyes.

Chat watched on as all this happened. He felt horrible for causing Nathaniel to cry, but now it was his turn to feel horrible. He examined each of their expressions and saw that Nathaniel held the same face of longing that Marinette held for Adrien… and the same one that Chat held for her. He knew that a kiss was going to be inevitable, so he had to stop it.

He pressed his thumb against his middle finger, ready to snap them and cause even more mayhem that will split them apart.

" _Your foolish attempt will only bring them closer together._ " a voice suddenly spoke, catching Chat Noir off guard. He looked around to see who spoke it but no one was around. However, he knew that their words were correct. His attempts to split Nathaniel and Marinette apart only brought them even closer together. He didn't learn his lesson from when he did it back at school, but it was finally starting to sink in now.

He looked at his fingers, then back at the couple. There was no winning for him. As tough as it was, he just had to accept that he lost his chance with Marinette, and Nathaniel was now the one capturing Marinette's heart.

He rose up and began walking away, seeing as he wasn't needed anymore. He let out a sigh and said "Maybe he's better for her anyways."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Marinette stared deep into Nathaniel's eyes. All she could see was sorrow and loneliness in them. She's known Nathaniel for a few years now. He was always the type to stick to himself, usually staying silent in class and spending most of his free time drawing rather than socializing. She knew that the dinner with her tonight must have been a courageous act for him, which is why it affected him so deeply when things didn't go the way he expected them to.

Nathaniel began to lean in closer to her, slightly puckering his lips. For a moment, Marinette froze up and stared at them. She knew what the intent was and what would become of them should she let it happen. She wanted to make him feel better; she wanted to take away his pain and loneliness. For a moment, she considered letting it happen and let her and Nathaniel become an official couple.

However, the image the blond boy and the words Chat Noir spoke to her earlier in the night echoed in her mind. This was enough to make her snap back to reality and realize that it wasn't what she wanted. So she quickly raised her hand and pressed it to Nathaniel's lips, pushing him back ever so gently.

"Nathaniel, I'm sorry but I can't-"

"Oh no, no, I'm sorry Marinette." Nathaniel quickly turned away, trying to hide his face so Marinette couldn't see his embarrassment. "I didn't mean-"

"No, no, I totally get it Nathaniel!" she said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly while chuckling. "I'll admit, for a moment I did consider it… It's just… It's just…"

"It's Adrien, isn't it?"

Marinette's neck quickly snapped to Nathaniel's direction, and she saw that he was looking down at the ground, with a gloomy expression upon his face once again. He let out a sigh and shook his head. "I should have figured. Word around the school is that you two aren't as close as you once were. I know I'm not a model but I thought I might have had a chance…"

"Nathaniel I-"

Nathaniel quickly took Marinette's hands and held them up. "For a while now Marinette, I've had a crush on you. You're so kind and generous to everyone you meet, not to mention intelligent and an expert designer. I know you've always liked Adrien which is why I didn't say anything until now. I know I'm not Adrien but I promise you I'd be the best partner I can be to you, if you're willing to give me a chance."

"Nathaniel…" Marinette examined him once more. She saw even more pain and loneliness in his eyes than she saw before. She noticed too that his hands were trembling, probably from anxiety of the situation. She had to admit, his confession was pretty heartfelt and genuine, but it didn't change her mind any.

She held his chin and brushed his hair out of his eyes so that she could see both of his shimmering blue eyes in full. "Nathaniel, I'm really honoured by your words. But I just don't feel the same way for you."

"I… I understand."

She flashed him a warm smile and held his hands, to try and provide comfort for him and ease the blow of rejection. "However, I do consider you a really good friend. You're a lot of fun to talk to and you're a really talented artist too!"

"Really?"

The sorrow in Nathaniel's eyes faded away and quickly got replaced by hope.

"Of course!" Marinette said as her smile grew. "In fact, I'd love to have you over sometime and compare our designs! We can maybe draw and collaborate together too on an art piece! Do you have any original characters that need new outfits?"

"Well… there is this one…"

Marinette quickly hopped back into her seat at the table and patted the area in front of her, inviting Nathaniel to join her. "Tell me about them! I'd love to hear!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry for such a short chapter =P It was actually a lot longer but I split it into two for a bunch of reasons XD (Main one being is because I think the story flows just a wee bit better if it was split =P)

I hope y'all will like what I have in store for next week's chapter too ;D


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The rest of Marinette's night with Nathaniel was rather tame. There was no awkwardness between the two of them luckily. In fact, if Marinette had to guess, Nathaniel came out of the dinner happier than he was going in. She had to admit too, she had a rather nice time with him.

However, the night wasn't over yet, as there was still one matter of business to attend to.

"Chat! I'm home!" Marinette called out as she stepped into her room. She tossed her purse and shoes aside and looked around. She eventually saw the leather clad demon out on the balcony, standing on the edge with his arms spread wide open. She immediately grew concerned, realizing what that pose could mean and raced over to help him. Just as she reached the glass doors, she began hearing some words coming out of his mouth.

" _I was fine, with the men, who would come into her life now and again~!_ "

He was… singing. For some reason, Chat Noir was singing out on her balcony. Now that she was up close to him too, she saw that his outfit was altered. It looked to be more suit-like and he had a top hat upon his head. She wondered if the neighbours could see him or if this was just for her eyes only.

" _I was fine, cause I knew, that they didn't really matter until you~!_ "

"Until you?" Marinette mumbled, trying to figure out what Chat meant. Could it be about her and Nathaniel he was singing about?

" _I was fine, when you came, and we fought like it was all some silly game~!_ "

"Chat!" Marinette cried out from behind the doors, becoming concerned by his lyrics.

" _Over her~!_ _Who she'd choose~! After all those months, I never thought I'd lose!_ " Chat continued, not hearing Marinette's call.

"CHAT!" Marinette cried out again, but was ignored once more. She opened up the doors and darted out to the balcony.

Chat lowered his head and continued to sing. " _It's over, isn't it~? Isn't it~? Isn't it over~? It's over, isn't it~? Isn't it~? Isn't it over~?_ "

Marinette wanted to call out to him again, but she couldn't resist slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand and grumbled, "There was nothing between us to be over with."

" _You won, and she chose you. And she loved you and she's gone~!_ " Chat sang, looking up at the moonlight. " _It's over isn't it, why can't I move on~?_ "

"CHAT NOIR!" Marinette screamed, catching the demon off guard. He quickly lost his balanced and slipped off of the balcony.

"Chat!" Marinette cried out. She raced over to the bannister, meaning to grab him and prevent him from falling, but when she leaned over, he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"What's up princess?" a familiar voice asked behind her. Hearing his voice startled her as she didn't expect it. She spun around and saw him standing there, looking safe and sound and rather confused. "Chat, h-how did you-"

"Teleportation!" Chat said, with a proud smile. "I'm a demon remember?"

"Oh. Right." She rolled her eyes and shook her head, slightly embarrassed with herself that she forgot.

"So…" Chat's expression quickly darkened. "How was... dinner with Nathaniel…?"

He knew exactly how it went, but he didn't want to let on he knew. In his mind, now that he thought that Marinette was with Nathaniel, all he could do was be a supportive friend to her, which he was fine with. He just had to deal with the feelings with he had and had to try and control his jealousy as well. He also knew he would probably have to hear stories about him too, and probably have to tolerate Marinette saying how much she loved him. That was not something he was prepared for, but it was something he was willing to do for her regardless.

"It was fine." Marinette replied, walking back into her room.

"Fine? Just fine?" Chat asked, following her inside. Marinette sat down on her bed while Chat claimed the computer chair for his own and wheeled closer to her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Marinette laughed slightly, finding Chat's ignorance cute. "It means Nathaniel and I aren't official you silly kitty."

"R-really?!" Chat immediately perked up in his seat. His tail began waving around in delight also.

She nodded and smiled. "Yes really. He did try to kiss me but I refused. I just don't see him in a romantic way. I knew that going into the dinner."

"Thank goodness." Chat said with a sigh of relief.

"Nothing happened with your father too. I told you that there was nothing to be worried about!"

Chat tensed up for a moment, forgetting that it was one of the reasons he told her as to why he was opposed to the dinner. "Oh- y-yeah. That's good!"

"Chat," Marinette leaned forward and placed her hands on his. "There was another reason why you were opposed to me going out with Nathaniel, wasn't there?"

Chat looked away and began scratching his cheek, a small hint of blush appearing on his cheeks. "I- I don't know what you're talking about princess."

Marinette let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. She didn't want to play this next card, but she had no other choice. She was curious and she needed to know. "For some reason, any time that I said I was going to be around Adrien, you were always so supportive of it but the one time I was going out with Nathaniel, where it had the potential for romantic implications, you were completely against it; as if it was a matter of life and death almost. Why is that Chat? I know something's up."

Chat looked to Marinette and saw that she was completely serious. He was trapped now too. If he were to just leave and not answer her then it would only make her mad at him and make things even more suspicious. All he could do was give her an answer.

"Marinette… I think it's about time that you know the truth."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I apologize, but I couldn't resist having a singing Chat Noir and I thought "It's Over Isn't It" from Steven Universe would be the perfect song to use~ Hope you enjoyed the singing demon kitty~  
As for that cliffhangar though... /dances away


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

"Marinette… I think it's about time that you know the truth." Chat took a deep breath and prepared himself for the words that he was about to say next. "It's because you and Adrien are my OTP!"

Marinette blinked twice in confusion upon hearing Chat's words. "… What?"

"You know, one true pairing!" Chat Noir raised his arms in the air dramatically, to add more emphasis to his words. "The ship to end all ships! The most important one of them all!"

"Adrien... and I… are your OTP…"

"You're the Winry to his Edward! The Sailor Moon to his Tuxedo Mask! The Asuna to his Kirito! The Yuuri to his Viktor!" Chat leaned closer to her and whispered into her ear. "I didn't want Nathaniel to ruin my OTP! I'm quite defensive over my ships!"

Marinette rose up and began walking away from Chat, not saying a word to him at all. Her expression was completely blank also. She could not process the information he was telling her, all she knew was that she needed to get away from him as soon as possible.

"Princess! Where are you going?"

She was already half way down her ladder at that point. She turned around and looked at Chat, narrowing her eyes at him. "No. More. ANIME!"

Chat watched as Marinette disappeared to the downstairs. He wiped sweat off his forehead and let out a relieved sigh. "She bought it. Thank goodness! Time to reward myself with some anime!"

* * *

The night seemed to drag on for Marinette. Her parents were sound asleep in their room and Chat was still upstairs, probably watching anime on her laptop. She took off the password the night before so that Chat could keep himself amused while she was out to dinner but she forgot to put it back on before she stormed off.

She wanted to turn on the TV and watch some programs herself, but she didn't want to run the risk of disturbing her parents from the sounds or the flashing lights, despite them being heavy sleepers. She did have the option of falling asleep on the couch, but she didn't feel she was tired enough yet to sleep.

A beep suddenly rang beside her, which made her jump with surprise. She looked down beside her couch and realized that she forgot that she had plugged in her phone to charge when she got back home. She unplugged it from the charger and began scrolling through it, intending on killing time until she became tired enough to sleep.

She looked through her text messages and saw that she got a bunch from Alya, wishing her luck on her dinner and that she wanted details the very next day. She saw too that there was one unread message she received from Adrien earlier in the day that she forgot about. It was a simple, but sweet message that read:

" _Happy Valentine's Day Marinette :)"_

Marinette began to smile, taking happiness and comfort in the fact that Adrien did take the time to text her a special holiday wish. Even though it was late in the night, she decided to text back to him, even though she knew she probably wouldn't get a response right away.

" _Happy Valentine's Day Adrien! I hope you had a good day._ "

She heard a sudden ping come from upstairs as soon as she sent the text but paid no mind to it. It probably came from the anime Chat was watching. After all, she's been hearing some of the sounds come from her room all night. She had no idea what he was watching but it definitely sounded like it was some anime that takes place at a school.

Her phone pinged and vibrated, taking her by surprise. When she checked it, she saw that Adrien had replied, which made her quite excited. That feeling didn't last long however, as she became a little sad when she read what Adrien had texted back.

" _It was actually a little lonely. Haha. Hope yours was good though!"_

This began a short string of text messages between the two of them.

" _I thought Chloe wanted to spend the day with you?_ "

" _She did but I didn't want to spend it with her._ "

" _I see… Was there anyone that you did want to spend it with?_ "

" _I did actually! But she already accepted another offer from someone else before I could ask._ "

Marinette's heart began to race after reading that last response from Adrien. Her hands began to shake too, the thought of what she wanted to say being a little overwhelming for her. She fought through it though and managed to text back, " _That's a shame. But it's never too late! Maybe she's already back home and the two of you can spend the remaining hours together!_ "

After that last text, Adrien went completely silent. Marinette's phone said that he had read the message but there was no response from him at all. She thought maybe her phone didn't load up his response and tried to reboot it, but there was still no message once it came back on.

Marinette grumbled and tossed her phone away, feeling defeated. She cursed herself, claiming that she was stupid for trying to re-ignite things with Adrien again. She thought that the girl he was talking about was her, but it was evident now that it wasn't.

She grabbed a pillow and screamed into it to vent her frustration, then tossed it away once she was done with it.

All of a sudden, she heard a knock at the front door. She raced downstairs and looked through the peephole to see who it was so late at night. Her eyes went wide with surprise when she saw golden locks of hair that were all too familiar to her.

She swung the door open and was greeted with the best sight she could have hoped for! Standing at her doorstep was none other than a tuxedo-clad Adrien Agreste. In his hands too were a bundle of roses a large heart-shaped box of chocolates.

He smiled at her and said, "Happy Valentine's Day Marinette. Care to take a walk and spend the rest of the day with me?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Chat Noir confirmed to be an Adrinette shipper~ ;D Also confirmed too that he's watched Fullmetal Alchemist, Sword Art Online, and Yuuri On Ice~ ;3


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

The stars were shining brightly in the large, moonlit night. The streets were rather silent, but it was preferable for Marinette and Adrien as they took their stroll. Neither of them said a word to each other, not that they didn't want to, but because they could sense the tension and were too afraid to break it.

Eventually, Adrien took Marinette to the park that their classmates usually visit during lunch or after school and sat down on one of the benches with her. He looked up at the sky and smiled at it. "This night sky reminds me of the one on Halloween night."

"Y-yeah!" Marinette began shuffling her feet. "It reminds me of it too. That was the night when you came up to check on me when I didn't show up to Chloe's party."

"Yeah, you were shaken up by some prank. Thankfully you weren't hurt by it."

"Haha, yeah." She stroked a strand of her hair behind her ear and began shuffling her hands from nervousness. "That... that was also the night where we almost… umm…"

Her words began to trail off, becoming increasingly nervous with each one. She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought and just wanted to drop it and enjoy the moment with Adrien without bringing up the past.

"Almost kissed?" Adrien asked, finishing her thought for her.

Marinette's body began to tense up, her nervousness getting the best of her at this point. She nodded to confirm his words, unable to speak as a response.

"Yeah… that was some night. I did want to kiss you then but the fake blood on my face was a bit of a turnoff, huh?"

Marinette nodded once again to Adrien's question.

"Yeah, I thought so. I forgot that it was still on. I made sure though for Christmas-"

"We don't need to talk about Christmas!" Marinette interrupted, raising her hands up defensively. She saw that she confused Adrien by her sudden outburst and started to relax a bit. "I mean… we don't need to bring it up."

Adrien began shaking his head. "We do Marinette. Nino told me what that kiss meant and… I want to clear the air and apologize to you. I only found out yesterday what a kiss means here in Paris. Please know that it was not my intent to hurt you at all."

A small smile grew on Marinette's face as she began to relax a little more. "I know it wasn't, you wouldn't do that Adrien. I knew that you didn't know. Just after I talked with you on the phone, I called up Alya and she told me about the cultural difference. I didn't mean to get so distant towards you… but when you picture something for so long and get your hopes up and they didn't turn out as expected… it was hard."

"Yeah… I know exactly what you mean." The two took a moment and thought about their words. Adrien placed his hand sympathetically on Marinette's shoulder and smiled at her. "It was a lack of communication from both of our parts, thanks to the differences in our cultures. French and American cultures do have a lot of similarities but there are also a lot of differences too apparently so it's easy to assume that there's overlap."

Marinette nodded. "Yeah."

"In the U.S., a kiss does mean something there but it could also be meaningless. Other students in my grade do kissing games at parties like spin the bottle. I'm not sure if you play it here or not."

Marinette shook her head. "I don't think we do. This is the first I'm hearing of such a game."

"It's a rather simple game. You get a bunch of people and sit in a circle. One person takes an empty bottle and spins it around. Whoever it points to is who they kiss. It can make for some humorous or awkward situations."

"I see…" Marinette brushed another strand of hair behind her head. Her body began to tense up once again, as her curiosity was peaked but felt uneasy about what the answer would be. "Did… did you ever play it?"

"I was invited to several times… even pressured into doing it too. But I didn't. I really didn't see a point to the game and didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness."

"But it's silly things like that that made me think that a kiss wasn't as big of a deal as what it is. I'll admit, I didn't plan on racing out of your place like I did after we kissed. An illness suddenly overtook me… But I thought that it wasn't a big deal and I could try again and do things proper the next time. That's why I got confused when you said about us being official. I wanted to make a move and ask you out after we kissed, but I didn't know the kiss was the move."

Adrien looked over and saw that Marinette's face was covered with blush and she was fumbling with her hands. Somehow, he managed to make her flustered again. "You okay Marinette?"

"Y-yeah! It's just umm… y-you just said that y-y-you wanted to k-kiss me ag-gain."

It took a moment for Adrien to realize what she meant, but as soon as it clued in, he couldn't help himself from laughing after being caught. "Yeah, I did say that."

He let out a sigh and sat there in silence along with Marinette. His body began to stiffen up a little bit as he thought about what he wanted to do next. He didn't know why he was getting so nervous; he knew everything he needed to know. It was just a matter of asking her. Perhaps though he was afraid of screwing up once again and really affecting his relationship with Marinette.

He took a deep breath and ignored his worries. He turned to Marinette and smiled at her. "Marinette, may I kiss you once again? I promise you too, I know what it means this time."

Marinette's body began trembling with excitement, she could barely contain it! But a thought came across her mind which calmed her down slightly while draining some of that excitement in the process. She placed her hand on top of Adrien's and looked into his eyes. "Adrien, every part of me wants to say yes. But… I have to ask: Are you sure about this?"

He nodded at her. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"I get that but I mean…" Marinette took a deep breath while intensifying her grip on Adrien's hand, using it as an anchor to calm herself down. "Adrien, what am I to you? I have to know."

"What… are you to me?"

She nodded. "I do really like you Adrien, I do. But our time together has been a roller coaster. You said you wanted to be friends with me but you were willing to kiss me on both Halloween and Christmas. And now this. I just… I want to make sure that this is what you want and that you're not doing this just for me."

Adrien looked down at his feet, soaking in Marinette's words. She saw how serious he was now and leaned in closer to him and placed her other hand on top of his. "I'm fine with waiting Adrien. You know how I feel and I know I'll kick myself tomorrow for doing this. But is this really what you want?"

"Marinette…" Adrien quickly grabbed Marinette's hands and held them up at chest level. He looked deep into her sparking blue eyes and smiled. "I've wanted to do this ever since I met you. At the time though, I was scared by my line of work. It was always keeping me from what I want and getting too close to people I liked. But I've come to realize that while my line of work is important, I shouldn't let it define me and how I live my life. I have to enjoy my time while it lasts and there's no one else I'd rather spend it with than you Marinette."

Marinette's face was once again completely covered in blush, all thanks to Adrien's words. He thought it was cute how flustered she was. He reached forward and placed his hand on Marinette's warm but soft cheek. "I promise you, this is what I want. I promise to love and cherish you, to protect you too through thick or thin. All you need to do is to say yes."

Marinette's body was trembling. This was the exact moment she was hoping for, the real one this time! She opened her mouth to say yes but all that could come out were high pitched squeaks, which caused Adrien to chuckle at her. She couldn't help but look away, feeling too embarrassed by her noises. Luckily, Adrien held her chin and turned her attention back to him. "Do I take that as a yes?"

She nodded her head up and down excitedly, which made Adrien smile. "You don't need to tell me twice."

Adrien learned forward and placed his lips onto Marinette's. An intense feeling of love exploded inside the two of them as they shared the warm and tender moment with each other. Marinette couldn't help but wrap her arms around Adrien's head and pull him in closer to her.

After a few more warm and loving seconds with each other, Adrien pulled away to check on Marinette. He saw that she had the brightest and happiest smile on her face, which made him happy as well. "So, I guess this makes us official now huh?"

"Y-yes. It d-d-does."

"That's good. I couldn't be happier!" He smiled at Marinette and looked deep into her eyes once again. "May I teach you something else from the US?"

"S-sure!"

He began holding her chin once again. "Usually in the US, if you really enjoy a kiss with your partner, then you go in once again for another one. Are you fine with that?"

Marinette giggled and pulled him in closer to her. "You don't need to ask Adrien. Just go right ahead!"

"In that case,"

Once again, Adrien and Marinette shared yet another warm and loving kiss with each other, this one lasting longer than the first. Neither one of them wanted to let the other go and just stay like that forever.

But little did they know, there was someone watching them from the shadows, and they were not happy with what they saw.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Adrienette confirmed! (Finally amirite? XD)


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Word spread quickly about Marinette and Adrien being an official couple. The first thing Marinette did when she returned home was text Alya and deliver the news. This caused her friend to awaken from her slumber but she didn't mind once she managed to decode the message from the swarms of exclamation marks that accompanied each one.

The very next day, Alya spread the news to their classmates. By the time Marinette arrived back at school on Monday, everyone had heard about the news. Unfortunately for both Adrien and Marinette, that also meant that Chloe knew about it as well.

It wasn't Alya's or anyone else's intent for Chloe to find out, as they knew how she would react once she heard the news. However, Kim accidentally let the news slip when he attempted to woo over Chloe. The words "Since Adrien's not on the market anymore" were not ones Chloe had expected to hear that day.

She immediately threw a tantrum and not even the combined efforts of both Sabrina and her father could calm her down. She only stopped when Sabrina off-handedly mentioned sabotaging their relationship. She was still furious but she channeled her rage into concocting schemes to break the two up.

Unfortunately for her, she had no idea who she was dealing with. Adrien caught on immediately as to what she was doing. As the old saying goes, "You can't out scheme a schemer."

Each of Chloe's attempts were unsuccessful and met with the same result; embarrassment. It didn't matter if she tried to seduce Adrien or threaten Marinette, with but a snap of his fingers, something always "conveniently" happened to Chloe that made her the laughing stock of the class. As much as it pained Adrien to do and see, he justified his actions by saying it was self defense. Luckily, karma never bit him for these actions.

Eventually, Chloe finally got the message and went to silently protesting their relationship. Every now and then she would "test" Adrien to see if there was still any chance for them but Adrien always proved he was serious about his relationship with Marinette and always showed how faithful he was to her.

Chat Noir was the happiest he's ever been as well. Marinette noticed a huge positive spike in his attitude. She was curious as to why he was suddenly so peppy but he always told her "There's no greater feeling than seeing your OTP get together."

As much as it irked Marinette to hear Chat Noir use those terms about her and Adrien, she was also grateful for the support he was providing. Just like back when they first met, he would always listen to whatever Marinette had to say about Adrien and he would offer suggestions too for things that the two could do together for dates. Surprisingly, a lot of them were actual good suggestions and not just joke suggestions too. When it came time to go out, Adrien seemed to be really happy with the date ideas and seemed pretty enthusiastic about them too, but it was something that Marinette loved to see and thought it was cute too.

Sometime into their relationship as well, Marinette began feeling a lot more confident and comfortable around Adrien. The nervousness seemed to fade away and the anxieties and insecurities she once had that were about Adrien were quelled for good. There would be times where her anxiety would make her worried about their future together but Adrien was patient with her and helped her through it. He would always tell her "Let's take it one step at a time", and she always took those words to heart.

Generally though, Marinette was filled with too much happiness and love to let nervousness control her like it once did. She could make complete sentences around him most of the time now, unless if he baffled her with an unexpected and romantic gesture. It would always leave her speechless and flustered.

Yep, both Marinette and Adrien were as happy as could be and were madly in love with each other as well.

However, what they didn't know was that there was someone watching their every move from the shadows. At first, they had hoped that the blonde girl would drive a wedge between them but when they realized that she stopped, they decided that it was about time to take matters into their own hands.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I apologize for the short and rather lackluster chapter ^^; I was in a bit of a rush to get this ready in time for this week and this was the best I could do ^^;

I should also mention too that **there won't be a new chapter for** **two weeks**. This isn't an April Fool's joke either sadly ^^; I'm currently very swamped with stuff right now and I won't have much time at all to write ^^; Plus I started up a new project with my friend Yumi-chan-Hamano so I wanna give some time and attention towards it.  
I really am sorry and don't mean to make you guys wait.

But I promise you, when the next chapter is posted in two weeks it'll be worth the wait~ I'm quite excited about this next mini arc tbh :D


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~ Thank you all for your patience over these past couple of weeks~  
I'm still rather quite busy but it's a lot more manageable now and I finally have time to write more of this XD (Let's hope it stays this way and I don't get busier again, am I right? XD)

Hope this is worth the wait~ And hope you all enjoy too :3

* * *

 **Chapter 35**

One day after school, Marinette and Adrien decided that they to visit the Louvre; which was the world's largest museum and one of Paris's most historical monuments. As soon as Marinette had heard that Adrien hadn't been to the Louvre before, she insisted that she took him and show him all the wonderful pieces of art that were displayed in the gallery.

They were standing at a curb, waiting for the bus to come. There was a shuttle that was close to their school that would take them to the museum and back. They knew that it wouldn't arrive for a bit but they didn't complain. It just meant that they had more quality time to spend with each other after all.

Suddenly, a large black limo parked itself at the curb and right in front of the loving couple. Both of them were confused by the sudden appearance of the limo, seeing as neither of them knew of anyone, aside from Chloe, that would drive in one. At the same time too, the curb was for the bus only and not for any other vehicle, especially limos.

A large, gorilla-like man stepped out from the driver's seat and made his way around the long, stretched out vehicle. Adrien narrowed his eyes at the man, sensing that something was off with him. Somehow, in some way, Adrien had seen this man before but he couldn't place how.

Then, as soon as the man opened the door to the back-most seat of the limo, it all became apparent to him.

A tall man, with blond slicked-back hair and black framed glasses stepped out from the vehicle. He stood tall and firm, giving off a sense of power just from his posture. He looked at Marinette, then turned to Adrien and smirked at him. "Hello son."

Adrien took a step forward and tossed his arm in front of Marinette, acting as if he was trying to protect her. Adrien glared at the man with a fiery look in his eyes and he saw this too. He held up his hand and shook his head. "At ease son. I am not here to start a quarrel."

Adrien remained still, refusing to let down his guard. He didn't trust the man's presence nor was it warranted. All he wanted was for him to go away.

"Adrien, is this your father?" Marinette piped up and ask, trying to break the tension between the two.

Adrien grumbled for a moment then nodded. "I guess you could say that."

"It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance Ms. Dupain-Cheng." the man said, offering his arm out to Marinette. Marinette reached her arm out, past Adrien's protective shield, so that he could shake his arm but Adrien barked out a "No!" and gently pushed her backward so that she was even further away from him and unable to accept his hand.

The man retracted his hand and sighed. "Please excuse my son Ms. Dupain-Cheng. As it has made itself apparent, my son and I are not on the best of terms currently."

"That's one way of putting it." Adrien retorted.

Marinette placed both of her hands on Adrien's arm and carefully tried to lower it, causing him to break his gaze with his father so that he could look at Marinette. He saw that she had a soft and sincere expression on her face, which made him feel even more uneasy. "Adrien, it's alright. This is your father after all. I don't know what happened between the two of you but he said he's not here for a fight."

Adrien grumbled again then began to relax. He still didn't trust his father being there, but he had faith that Marinette knew what she was doing even though she didn't know what was going on.

She extended her arm out to the man and he promptly took it and the two shook. Adrien eyed the handshake carefully, making sure that nothing fishy was going on. Once the two were done, the man turned to Adrien. "See son, there is nothing to fear."

Adrien hissed at him and walked over to Marinette's side. He wrapped his arms around Marinette and brought her into a tight embrace, as if he was afraid of losing her. Blush appeared on Marinette's face as she was enjoying the embrace, but it was a little too tight for her liking. She managed to squeeze one of her arms out of the embrace and began pushing it against Adrien's chest, trying to at least have him loosen up a bit. However, with the extra space now available, the grip tightened and Marinette was brought closer to his body. She just sighed and shook her head. "Adrien, could you lighten up a bit please? You're seriously reminding me of a very close friend I have right now."

"You must forgive him." the man spoke up. "My son and I are not on the best of terms right now. You see, he and I recently exchanged words regarding his profession. I had my own ideas about how to go about it and he had his own, most of them involving you."

"R-r-really?" Marinette asked, the blush quickly intensifying.

The man nodded. "Yes. In the end, things were said on both ends that came across a little brash. My son decided to follow his own path, against my wishes. I still stand by my own ideals but I decided I wanted to meet the woman who started it all."

"You met her, now leave!" Adrien barked again.

"Adrien!" Marinette leaned close to Adrien's ear and whispered into it. "I know it might be a bit uncomfortable being around him, but he is your father after all."

"You don't know the half of it." Adrien whispered back. He sighed and finally loosened his grip on Marinette. "Fine… What is it exactly you're here for Father?"

"Just as I said earlier, I am here to meet Ms. Dupain-Cheng." A small smirk appeared on the man's face. "I have heard so much about you from my son that I decided now was a good time to become acquainted. Would you care to do the introductions… 'Adrien'?"

"Sure…" Adrien replied, carefully eyeing his father once again. "Marinette, this is my father… Gabriel Agreste."

"Gabriel… hmm… yes… that does seem quite suiting…" he mumbled underneath his breath. "Yes, I am Gabriel Agreste. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too sir!" Marinette replied, with a cheery smile on her face.

"Excellent. Now that we both have been formally acquainted, I will be taking my leave."

The large gorilla-like man opened the door for Gabriel once again as he returned back to his limo. As soon as he was inside, Adrien wiped a sweat drop off of his forehead, glad that the confrontation was finally over.

"Oh yes." Gabriel spoke up from the vehicle. "Son, there are matters which we must discuss. Hop in."

"No." Adrien said sternly. "Marinette and I have plans."

"It's fine!" Marinette said, waving at Gabriel. "We can go visit the Louvre some other time!"

"But Marinette I-"

"The Louvre isn't going anywhere." Marinette took Adrien's hands and held them up to chest-level. "I'll admit, your father seems a little strange but he might want to patch things up. Go with him and see what he wants. He is family after all."

"But…"

Marinette leaned in and placed a kiss on Adrien's cheek, causing him to blush. "I know you're reluctant but you can tell me all about it later. He's waiting for you and the bus will be here soon. I don't think the bus driver will be very pleased when he sees a limo in his spot."

Adrien scowled, still feeling uneasy and reluctant for going with his Father. However, he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't curious about why his father was here in the first place. He knew him too well; it wasn't just to "meet" Marinette. There was something else afoot and now might be his only chance to find out.

"Alright Marinette, I'll go. But you owe me a date to the Louvre!"

"I'll be sure to make it extra special just for you then!" Marinette teased.

"Any date with you is always as special as can be."

The two of them shared a quick kiss goodbye just before Adrien made his way to the limousine. He turned around and looked at Marinette, who was waving goodbye to him. He waved back with a smile, even though it was a fake one. He climbed into the limo and sat on the seat just opposite of his father. The gorilla-like man shut the door, cutting off all sight Adrien had of Marinette and within a few moments, they were off to who knows where. Adrien was not looking forward to the inevitable chat.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

Both Adrien and his father remained silent during the ride. Adrien had no idea where he was going, if he was going anywhere at all. He was half expecting the limo to take him back to Hell, but it didn't seem like the case. At least, not yet.

Adrien carefully eyed his father while he tried to figure out what his Father wanted. He knew that he didn't take time away from his business and make himself known in broad daylight just to meet Marinette face-to-face. Something was up, and it was killing Adrien that he didn't know what it was.

"Well?" his father spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Well what?" Adrien replied back with a sneer.

"I'm waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Countless things. I'd most prefer an apology and a progress report with your new plan to capture the girl's soul once and for all but I'm expecting excuses and accusations. Or have you not thought of any as of yet?"

Adrien narrowed his eyes even more at his father. "You know what I'm waiting for? For you to tell me why you're here."

"I told you." he said as he chuckled. "I'm here to introduce myself to that girl. Make my presence known."

"No, why are you _really_ here?" Adrien said as he folded his arms. "If that was the truth then you would've just introduced yourself and left. You don't need me here and yet, here I am."

Gabriel began chuckling once again. "You're as sharp as always son. You are correct, there is something else that I am here for but I do not wish to discuss them in this disgusting shell."

Dark shadows began surrounding Gabriel's body and consumed his appearance. When they disappeared, they left a humanoid figure with a dashing purple suit on his body and a black leather mask adorned on his head. A butterfly brooch was present on his suit, taking place instead of a tie. His eyes began glowing red and horns began to grow out from the top of his head. His form had completely changed into that of a demon.

"Ah, yes, this is more preferable." he said as he straightened out his sleeves. "I advise you to do the same."

"I'm comfortable like this." Adrien said, slumping back in his seat.

"That was not a request. It was a demand." Hawkmoth said, narrowing his eyes at Adrien. "I wish to speak to my son, not an illusion."

Adrien wanted to snap at his father and protest, taking offense that his current form was nothing more than an illusion to him. However, he knew that it would get him nowhere and only stir up troublr. He was reluctant, but he snapped his fingers which caused shadows to change his appearance as well into that of Chat Noir.

"Happy?" Chat Noir asked.

"I'd much prefer if your red eyes and horns returned but I will take what I can get." A cane suddenly formed in his hands, which he used to promptly place on the ground and lean on. "Now then, let's get down to business. You have entered a romantic relationship with the girl whose soul I ordered you to collect."

"Yeah? So what."

"Do you not see the problems with this, son?"

Chat narrowed his eyes even more at Hawkmoth. "Not a single one and I have no idea what you're talking about."

Hawkmoth began holding his head as he shook it, feeling irritated by his son's ignorance. He let out a sigh and returned to his former position. "Barring the obvious, let's talk about _who_ she's in a relationship with."

"With me. So what?"

"No, she is not." Hawkmoth held out his hand with his palm facing the ceiling. Two blobs of shadows began hovering above it. They began squirming wildly and after a few seconds, they took shape so that one resembled Chat Noir and the other resembled Adrien. "She is in a relationship with who she believes to be Adrien Agreste."

"Yeah…?"

"You are not Adrien Agreste, however. You are Chat Noir who takes the form of Adrien Agreste for a pathetic charade."

Chat Noir winced, feeling stung by Hawkmoth's words. The taller demon smiled, happy that his son realized what he meant. He continued on with his point so that it was made clear and so that his son couldn't deny his words. "She believes she's in a relationship with a human, not a demon. How do you think she'll react once she realizes you deceived her?"

Chat began biting his lower lip. He knew what the answer was but didn't want to admit to it.

"You haven't even thought this through. Even if I did allow this relationship, she is a mortal; destined to perish one day and have her soul claimed. You are an immortal demon confined to the chains to Hell. What do you think will happen when that time comes? Once the old man claims it then it's gone forever."

"Then I'll get it before he does!" Chat barked back. "I'll meet her at the Crossroads and claim her soul for myself!"

"And then what? She'll want you to claim Adrien's as well. Do you tell her the truth that you were Adrien the whole time? Do you really think she'll want to go with you once she realizes you've been lying to her for however many years?"

"…"

"Or do you continue to lie for all of eternity? Say the old man claimed his soul before you could get your claws into it? Make her soul weep as she thinks that they've been separated until the end of time?"

"…"

"Face it; you were a fool to get involved with this girl. You should have just done your job like you were told."

Chat began clenching his fists. His rage was quickly building. Everything his father was saying was correct but he didn't want to accept it. He wanted to lash out and deny everything, but there was one small part of him that held him back, and that was the part that was telling him that his father was right.

"Let me ask you something Chat Noir, why does this girl not love you?"

"E-… excuse me?"

"Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why she felt romantic attraction to your Adrien persona and not your true self?"

"I- I…" Chat thought about the question. He thought hard and deep about it, but he wasn't able to formulate an answer. At least, he didn't formulate an answer that he liked. "I don't know."

"It's because she believes she's in love with a human. She does not have the capacity to love a demon like she does a human."

"Th- THAT'S NOT TRUE! MARINETTE'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Chat yelled, unable to contain his emotions anymore.

"THEN WHY DOES SHE LOVE ADRIEN AND NOT YOU!" Hawkmoth yelled back. "ANSWER ME BOY!"

Chat Noir remained silent. He couldn't answer his father and didn't want to dignify him with a response either.

Hawkmoth sighed as he calmed down. He leaned back in his seat and smirked. "You see my point."

"I have a question for you father, why do you care so much about what I do? I'm happy! Why can't you let me be happy?!"

"Because this is a false illusion of happiness you've casted upon yourself. It's foolish and unbearable to watch. I am merely making you realize the situation in its entirety and guide you back to the true path; the one you were meant to take." Hawkmoth waited for Chat Noir to respond but continued speaking when he realized his son wouldn't talk. "To answer your previous question, I do not personally care what do you or do not do. However, it is affecting our duties down there so I take it upon myself to get things back on track."

"If it's that important to you then why don't you have someone replace me so you can let me be?"

"You think I have not tried?"

Hawkmoth snapped his fingers, which caused a bunch of shadows to appear in the seat beside him. Chat Noir's eyes widened with surprise when he saw the figure once the shadows faded away. It was a demon that looked almost exactly like him. The only difference was that the new demon's hair was longer than his and the jumpsuit that the new demon sported was slightly unzipped at the front, which revealed a bit of his chest.

"This is my brother?" the new demon asked.

Hawkmoth nodded at the cat-like demon. "Yes it is."

"He looks rather… pathetic."

"Who is this?!" Chat Noir spoke up, being completely baffled by the situation.

"Where are my manners? Chat Noir, allow me to introduce you to your brother, Chat Noir." Hawkmoth's grin began to slightly grow. "However, you may call him Felix."

"I would say it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Felix spoke. "However, it isn't a pleasure at all. I expected more out of my big brother."

Chat glared at Hawkmoth, his fists beginning to glow with a dark rage. "Why does he keep calling me his brother?"

"At ease Chat Noir. He calls you that because I crafted him in your image, made from only the darkest and sinister shadows our realm has. As such, you have a slight familial connection with him but that is all." Hawkmoth wrapped his arms around Felix's shoulders and held him. "He is much more superior to you though. He obeys orders without question, he has no attachment to humans or the human realm, and he doesn't let his emotions cloud his judgement. One could even say he is the ideal son."

"Please," Felix used his thumb and index finger to pick up Hawkmoth's arm and push it away. "Do not touch me."

Hawkmoth grumbled. He collected himself and turned his attention back to Chat Noir. "However, he is not perfect. He is rather… rude to our clients. While he is superior, his track record is not as impressive. He does not have the silver tongue that you possess. He was only meant to serve as a temporary replacement while you collected the girl's soul. I only wish for you to return so that you can take your place back and I can dismiss Felix. You are my son but just like Felix, you are also an asset."

Chat was trembling, trembling from rage. He didn't care if he was replaced in Hell but he was replaced as Hawkmoth's son! At least, that's what it felt like to him. He was hurt, and it didn't help any that his father also called him an asset.

The fire burning around Chat Noir's hands intensified greatly, to the point where the outline couldn't even be seen anymore. Chat Noir was furious and he couldn't control his rage anymore!

He swiped at Felix with a quick and decisive strike. However, Felix moved to his side and let the cushion behind him take the blow. Chat Noir tried to swipe again, but Felix ducked and let the cushion take yet another blow. Chat roared, his frustration growing even more since he couldn't land a single blow on his target.

Chat swiped at Felix multiple times rapidly but each and every time Felix managed to dodge them perfectly. He wasn't even looking at Chat Noir either. His arms were folded and his eyes were closed and he was dodging all of Chat's attacks without so much as breaking a sweat.

Eventually, Chat became too tired to fight and slumped back into his seat. Felix chuckled triumphantly, seeing his so called "brother" in such a state. Chat Noir just glared at him while panting, hoping somehow that Felix would spontaneously combust and never return.

"Are you calm now?" Hawkmoth asked. Chat didn't respond but just nodded at him. "Good. Then I will extend one final offer to you."

He held up his right index finger at Chat Noir. "I will give you one week to collect the girl's soul. Just one week. If you do, all will be forgiven and we'll pretend all of this never happened and carry on with the rest of our eternal lives normally. Do you understand?"

Chat locked eyes with his Father and looked deep into them. He said to him as he panted, "I… refuse…"

"You refuse?" Hawkmoth's eyes began to flare with rage but Chat Noir didn't care. This was just an intimidation tactic and it wasn't working. He turned around and yelled at the driver. "Hey you Big Gorilla, stop!"

The man slammed on the breaks and caused the limo to stop. With another snap of his fingers, Chat Noir transformed back into Adrien and stared his father down. "Yes, I refuse. You may be the Devil but replacing your son is a new low. I don't care if the happiness I made for myself is false and temporary; I love Marinette and at least she cares for me as Chat Noir and doesn't seem him as some asset!"

Adrien opened the limo's door and stepped out. He took one last look at his father and said to him, "By the way, Adrien is not an illusion. It's who I really am! And who I really am is a magical girl!"

Without another word, Adrien slammed to the door and stormed off. Hawkmoth and Felix sat in the limo in silence, thinking about Adrien's words.

"What do we do?" Felix asked Hawkmoth.

"We wait." he responded. "An opportunity will soon arise which we will be able to take advantage of. One way or another that girl's soul will be mine and Chat Noir will assume his position back in Hell. All we need to do is be patient. But for now, we drive."

The driver took that as the cue to continue.

As they drove, Hawkmoth's mind began to fixate itself on something that Adrien said. "Felix."

"Yes Father?"

"What's a magical girl?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hope you guys liked the cameo I tossed in here ;D  
For those that don't know who Felix is, I suggest going to Youtube and looking up "Ladybug 2D PV"~ He's basically the original Chat Noir until he was scrapped in favour of Adrien~  
I thought it'd be cool to toss him in this story~

Also, I'm curious too~  
What did you guys interpret as the reason why Adrien told his father he's a magical girl? :3  
I meant for it as a way for Adrien to stand up to his father and say "I can be whoever I want to be and this is the path I chose/am choosing" but my Beta Reader interpreted it as he's losing his marbles XD;;  
So I'm curious to read all the different perspectives with that line~


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

Chat Noir spun around, sitting on Marinette's desk chair. He rested his chin on its back as he thought about the confrontation with his father. He was proud of the way he handled the situation but there was something his father said that really got to Chat. As much as he tried to shake the thought from his mind, it lingered in there and made him feel worse about it.

Marinette, in the meantime, scrolled through her phone anxiously. She hadn't heard from Adrien since he left with his father and was worried for him. She had thought that he'd be in contact long before now, even if just to say he was fine. She regretted telling him to go. She knew he didn't want to go but she still pushed for it anyways, as she believes family is important and that if there was conflict then it should be resolved immediately. But now she realized Adrien must have had his reasons for not wanting to go and she probably made things worse for him.

"I hope he's alright." she said, sliding her phone across her desk so that it was out of reach. She let out a large, frustrated groan and slammed her forehead on her desk. "I shouldn't have told him to go!"

"I'm sure he's fine Princess." Chat said solemnly. "They're businessmen. It probably takes a while for them to get their issues resolved."

"I guess." Marinette let out a sigh and raised her head, not wanting to sulk about Adrien much more and trust that he'd be in contact as soon as he can. She looked over to Chat and noticed how down he was looking, which made her shift her concern over to him. "Chat, is everything alright?"

"Yeah… I guess…"

She walked over to him and grasped onto the chair so it'd stop spinning constantly. She grabbed the seat and spun it around so that her and Chat were face to face with each other. "Chat, you know you can always talk to me about anything. So what's up?"

Chat's frown intensified, feeling reluctant to talk to Marinette about his thoughts. He didn't know what would the end result would be if he did share his concerns. He didn't have a choice now though. Marinette knew something was up. He could lie and make something up just to divert the topic, but there was a part of him that needed an answer.

"Princess… Marinette… why do you love Adrien and not me?"

"E-excuse me?" Marinette asked, being taken by surprise from Chat Noir's question.

"Why do you love him and not me?" Chat repeated himself again, feeling even more reluctant now that he heard Marinette's question. "You know how I feel about you Princess and I'm just… I'm just wondering why you love him and not me."

"What happened to Adrien and I being your 'OTP'?"

"Self-ship before OTPs!" Chat Noir quickly replied with a bright smile on his face. "Seriously though, why him?"

"I-… I don't know how to answer that Chat."

Chat's grimace grew even more. The answer was starting to become apparent to him now, and it was exactly as he feared. "It's because I'm a demon, isn't it? You can only love humans like Adrien…"

Marinette's eyes narrowed at Chat. She was feeling offended by his words but she didn't want to tell him off just yet. "Where did you get that idea from?"

Chat Noir turned away, not wanting to answer Marinette. It was enough of a response though for Marinette to clue into what was going on. "You had a talk with your father recently, haven't you?"

He remained still at first, but when Marinette called out his name, he nodded in response.

"I thought so." Marinette held her head and shook it, unable to believe that Chat Noir fell for his father's mind games once more. "Do I need to put you in a carrier when I'm away or something so you don't end up in these predicaments?"

"Put some anime in there and I won't argue about it!" Chat joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Yeah, that's exactly what you need." Marinette said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. She let out a sigh and began thinking about how she wanted to talk to Chat about the topic. She decided to grab a spare chair from the other side of the room and pull it up beside him. She took his hands and looked into his eyes. "Listen to me Chat. These words may sting but they're truthful. I just… I just don't see you in that way. That's all."

Chat's cat ears drooped, hearing Marinette's words. He was about to speak up to protest but Marinette raised a finger to stop him before he could. "But it's not because you're a demon. I'll admit, you and Adrien are similar. Both of you are truly kind to me and have my best interests at heart. I just learned recently too that the both of you are very protective over me too. But there are differences between the two of you. But you being a demon and him being a human have nothing to do with it at all."

"R… really?"

"Yes Chat. You could be anything; a demon or a human, a guy or a girl, or even a fictional character in an anime and I still wouldn't see you the way I see Adrien. The same applies for him as well. To me, it doesn't matter what you are. When I develop a romantic attraction to someone, I develop a romantic attraction. Adrien just happened to be the one my heart chose."

"I see…" A small, warm smile grew on Chat's face. He was relieved by Marinette's answer. It may not have been the answer he was looking for, but it was one he could respect at the very least.

"If it's any consolation Chat…" Marinette continued. She began biting her lower lip, becoming a bit nervous to tell Chat what she wanted to tell him. She knew it'd be comforting to him but it also held the risk of making him feel worse. She decided to take the risk anyways, for the sake of her friend. "If Adrien wasn't in the picture, there's a chance that my heart could've fell for you."

"R-really?" Chat's eyes grew wide with surprise and he perked up quite a lot. Marinette quickly became worried seeing this response from him. "Don't you get any ideas Chat! Adrien's happy and I'm happy and if something happens to him or our relationship now that I've told you that, I'm holding you responsible!"

Chat couldn't help but laugh, finding Marinette's concern cute. "Don't worry Princess, I won't do anything. I purromise."

Marinette glared at Chat upon hearing his pun, not finding it funny in the slightest. "You know Chat Noir, I'll tell you something. There is actually one big difference between you and Adrien, and it's one of the reasons why I'm attracted to him and not you in the first place."

"Oh? What is it?"

"The puns." Marinette stated blankly. "Adrien doesn't make puns."

"Oh."

"Yeah... I can appreciate a good pun every now and then but the extent that you use them, it's a major turn off for me."

Chat rested his head against the back of his seat and began to sulk. Marinette sensed that she had hurt his feelings by telling him the truth. She felt bad so she began petting the top of his head and stroked his head to try and cheer him up. Despite the way he was feeling, he did appreciate her honesty. Although, he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened between them if he didn't make so many puns...

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~  
Just wanted to give ya a head's up~ The next few chapters are going to be oneshot chapters that may not contribute much to the bigger plot ^^; Reason why is because there's only two or three big story ideas/plotlines that I have left for this story and there's still some short stories I want to tell so I figure now would be the best time to put them in~  
It's pretty much fluff before the angst storm~ And trust me, I'm not using the term "angst storm" lightly~ Hehe~  
Hope you all will like them ^o^ And that you like this chapter too~

(Also, sorry that this is late. Every time I tried to submit this chapter I kept getting the "Error Type 1" message ^^; )


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note:** I just wanted to give a head's up/trigger warning:

This chapter deals with peer pressure and a forced romantic interaction/revoked consent for kissing. It doesn't go any further than kissing but it is being forced.

I'm not sure if this was needed for this chapter but I wanted to make sure, just in case ^^;

If you think you're unable to handle it; it's fine and I understand :) This chapter is a oneshot chapter so feel free to skip it~

Hope you all enjoy though~

* * *

 **Chapter 38**

One day during class, Nino decided to play around with his girlfriend a bit. When Marinette and Alya returned back from their lunch, they were surprised to find Nino in Alya's seat. She told him to return back to his seat but he teased and playfully said for her to make him. Normally, if anyone ever said that to Alya, she would throw them out without a second thought, but she got a sneaky idea that would work to her benefit no matter the result.

She approached Nino and sat down on his lap, which took him by surprise. When she asked if he was uncomfortable, he said no and admitted that he liked having her on his lap.

Both Marinette and Adrien thought it was a cute sight. Alya suggested that Marinette does the same with Adrien's lap, but she was too flustered by the thought to even attempt it. Adrien respected Marinette's word and took his seat like normal. Instead though, to show his love and affection, he leaned down and kissed the back of her head every so often.

When the teacher entered the room she saw the display that Alya and Nino were putting on. Normally she'd have Nino return to his seat but she promised the students free time to work on their assignments however they wanted that afternoon so she allowed it just the once on the condition that they kept displays of affection to a minimum.

As such, Marinette and Alya worked on their assignment while Nino watched and offered suggestions. Both he and Adrien were already ahead in their project enough that they could afford to take the afternoon off and goof around.

As the three of them chatted away, Adrien began remembering the last group of "friends" he had.

* * *

"Now son," the leather masked demon said as shadows began to form in the palm of his hands. "I will teach you the art of deception and how to rule over others."

"Deception huh?" the cat-like demon repeated, his tail waving about as he spoke. "I don't know how I feel about that. Mom always said it was not nice to deceive others."

"What did I say about your mother!" Hawkmoth yelled as flames burst up from behind him. "Forget everything she ever taught you! They no longer apply to you or this realm now."

"Y-yes Father."

"Now pay attention." The shadows in Hawkmoth's hands began to reflect an image. To Chat Noir, it looked like the inside of a fiery cavern that was made out of brimstone. Inside of the cavern were a bunch of demonic looking figures. From the looks of it, there were thirteen different demons and they looked like they were all having fun. "I want you to infiltrate their ranks. Gain their trust, and when they least expect it, turn on them. Show them who you really are."

"Wh- why? What did they do to deserve this?"

"Nothing." Hawkmoth replied with a coy smile. "They are nothing but mere pawns in your training. That is all they are and I advise you to view them as such."

"Y-" Chat didn't know how to feel. Even though these figures were demons, they seemed pretty human-like. They were smiling, laughing, having fun. He felt horrible that he'd have to go in and ruin their fun. But at the same time, he wanted to make his father proud of him. "Yes Hawkmoth."

"Good."

Hawkmoth stamped his cane on the brimstone floor and the two were immediately teleported to the cavern that was shown in the shadows. All eyes turned to Chat Noir and his father, silence filling the area. Hawkmoth smiled and stepped forward. "Greetings everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your fun."

"Yeah!" Some of the demons cheered in response.

"Excellent. I have another demon to add to your ranks." Chat took it as a cue to step forward and wave to the audience. "His name is Chat Noir. I trust that you all will look after him like you would each other."

"No problem!" a blue-faced demon in a bubbly red suit said, stepping forward. "I can show him the ropes!"

"I appreciate you volunteering Bubbler. As for the rest of you, I shall grant fourteen more hours to your recreational activities."

The crowd cheered with delight, which made Chat feel even guiltier. He knew that the additional fourteen hours were just a time limit for him to gain their trust and then crush it. He didn't feel right about it… he didn't think he could go through with it.

"Don't mess this up my boy." Hawkmoth said, leaning in. "I'll be watching."

Before Chat could say anything, his father disappeared in a cloud of smoke and left him all alone.

"Come on Chat, let me show you around!" The Bubbler said as he wrapped his arms around Chat's shoulders. He began guiding Chat around the cavern, starting off by showing him an area that was pretty vacant, except for one demon in a white and black striped shirt and a beret. "This is the Evillustrator's area. I wouldn't bug him when he's working if I were you. He's a very touchy artist. And whatever you do, do not ask him for a request. You'll regret it."

The demon looked up from his tablet and tipped his beret at Chat as a greeting. Chat just smiled and waved back. Next, The Bubbler took him to a table where a bunch of food was displayed, where two demons stood and chatted with each other while holding red plastic cups. Chat was surprised to see that a lot of the food looked edible.

"This is where we keep the snacks." The Bubbler said. "Feel free to help yourself if you want. We just mainly use this area to socialize."

"Don't mind if I do!" Chat said with delight. Immediately, he shoved his head into a bowl of potato chips and began stuffing his mouth with them. He rose up from the bowl and began crying happily. He didn't remember a time when his taste buds were met with such a delight. It could be perhaps since coming to Hell he hasn't had anything to eat. His father told him that demons only eat for pleasure and not for survivability. Since Chat was half demon, he was fine without having food but he missed it dearly. So being able to stuff his face with chips was certainly one of the best pleasures for him.

"Hey," one of the demons spoke as she approached Chat. He turned to her and felt a bit frightened. He wasn't sure if it was because of her big pink poofy dress that had eyes on it or if it was because she was glaring at him with a face that was completely covered in makeup. She walked up to him and brushed off some crumbs that he had on his suit. "Take better care of your outfit. I can't stand to see clothing taken care of so poorly."

Chat gulped the remaining chips that were in his mouth and began laughing awkwardly. "Sorry about that. I got a little carried away there."

The demon scanned his body up and down and began to smile. "Nice choice in clothing by the way. It suits you."

"Thanks! And your outfit is… very unique."

"Thank you. If you wish, I could make you wear the same thing."

Chat gulped once again, but this time it was from nervousness. He held his hands up defensively and backed away. "I think I'm good thank you. It looks better on you."

"Suit yourself."

Chat wiped a sweat drop off his forehead as the demon returned to their conversation partner. He was relieved that he avoided the situation. He didn't mind dresses but the one she wore was a little too much for his taste. Plus, he knew being in those heels would hurt his feet as well.

The Bubbler wrapped his arms around Chat Noir and smiled at him. "Dude, Reflekta likes you!"

"Really?" Chat asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah! She doesn't usually chat with anyone that's not Princess Fragrance unless if it's to scold them on how they're treating their clothes. But she complimented you. That's a great sign!"

"Huh, I guess I have a natural charisma then." Chat joked.

"Hate to burst your bubble dude but she could also just be acting nice because of Hawkmoth." The Bubbler began laughing out of thin air, which made Chat very confused. "Get it though? Burst your bubble? Since I'm the Bubbler!"

A warm smile spread across Chat's face when he realized what he meant. "Yeah, it's a pun."

Chat always had a fondness for puns. His mother would use them around him to try and cheer him up whenever he was feeling sad. Despite some of them being corny or real groaners, they always cheered him up and put a smile on his face.

The Bubbler directed him over to the other side of the cavern, where a bunch of the demons were gathered. They were all sitting in a circle and watching a skeletal arm spin in the center.

"And here we have the entertainment area, where we play games. Seems like the game right now is Spin The Arm."

"Spin The Arm?" Chat inquired.

"Yeah! It's based on a game from the human realm called 'Spin The Bottle'. We take an arm, spin it around, and whoever it lands in is who you kiss."

Chat looked over to the group and noticed that the arm had stopped. However, instead of kissing, he saw the large purple monster-like demon trying to eat the large demon that was made completely out of stone.

"Uhh… that doesn't look like kissing." Chat said, pointing at the two demons.

"Yeahhh… kissing between monsters is a little different. I hope you get a humanoid demon to kiss. Trust me, no one ever wants to be kissed by Horrificator. I'm sure Stoneheart can attest to that… when he gets out of her mouth I mean."

"Well, hello there!" a feminine voice spoke. Chat looked and saw another demon had approached him. This time, it was a rather humanoid looking demon that was wearing a black jumpsuit with red spots and had blonde hair that was tied up in a ponytail. Just like all of the other demons as well, she had blood red eyes and a pair of matching horns atop of her head. She held out her hand at Chat. "Enchante."

"Uhh…" Chat just stared at the hand, unsure what to do with it.

"Dude," The Bubbler began nudging his side. "She wants you to kiss it."

"Oh." Chat grabbed the female demon's hand and pressed his lips against the back of it. "Pleasure to meet you…"

"Antibug."

"Pleasure to meet you Antibug."

"Of course it is." She began scanning Chat's body up and down, much like Reflekta did earlier. However, this time, it made Chat feel rather uncomfortable, especially with the lustful look she had in her eyes. "You know Chat Noir you're quite handsome."

"Th- thank you?"

Antibug took Chat's hand and began dragging him closer to the circle where all the other demons were. "Come on, we're going to have some fun."

Chat gulped from nervousness. "F-fun?"

She placed him in between an empty space and a female demon in a purple dress that was clutching an umbrella. She took her place on the other side of the circle, being directly across from Chat. She smiled at him and pointed at the arm. "Go ahead, spin it."

All eyes focused on him. He didn't want to do it and felt rather uncomfortable being forced in the situation too. He wanted to get up and leave, but their icy cold stares made him feel pressured to do it. He remembered his father's instructions also; to gain their trust. He had no choice but to spin the arm or else he'll jeopardize the task and potentially disappoint his father.

Chat reached forward and began spinning the arm. He watched anxiously as it spun around and around. He looked around the circle at all of the potential candidates for it to land on. All of them were demons that he had just met and didn't want to kiss at all. There was only one area of the circle where it'd be safe for him and he desperately hoped that's where the arm would point to.

After a few gruesome seconds for Chat, the arm began to slow down and eventually stop. Chat let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw where it was pointing at: the empty space beside him. That was the best possible outcome for him and he was happy that he got it.

"Dude," The Bubbler nudged him from behind. "Be careful where you kiss Vanisher. It's best if you just let her kiss you."

"V-Vanisher?" Chat quickly jerked his neck around and looked at the "empty space". His eyes adjusted and he began seeing the faint outline of a demon, looking to be feminine and smaller than the rest of the others but it was a demon none the less. He watched in horror as the outline got closer and closer to him.

"NO! NO! NO!" Antibug screamed as she pounded her fists against the floor. "This won't do! I wanted to be the one to kiss Chat Noir! Timebreaker!"

The demon in the black racing suit that sat beside Antibug let out an annoyed sigh. She placed her hand on the red winged demon on her other side and began draining energy from his presence. Just before the Vanisher could place her lips on Chat Noir, Timebreaker snapped her fingers and caused the whole scene to rewind itself back to when the arm was still spinning.

"Anti-Charm!" Antibug whispered. The arm began to glow with a mysterious black energy that only Antibug could see. The arm came to a sudden stop and was pointing directly at Antibug.

Antibug giggled, feeling pleased that the skeleton arm "chose" her. She raised her eyebrows up and down seductively at Chat Noir. "Looks like you have to kiss me you handsome kitty."

Chat's body quickly tensed up and he found himself unable to move. Just seeing Antibug crawl towards him to kiss him made him incredibly nervous and uncomfortable. He didn't want to do it; he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He stood up and began backing away slowly. "No, sorry. I thought I was fine with this but I'm not. I'll just be over by the Evil-"

Chat's words were cut off when he felt a stony touch on his shoulders. He looked behind him and saw Stoneheart was there and he didn't look too happy. He turned to the circle of demons and saw that everyone wasn't happy, especially Antibug.

She clicked her fingers, which caused Stoneheart to push Chat back down onto the ground. It was at this moment that Chat saw diabolical smiles appear on all of the demon's faces. One of them began chanting "Kiss! Kiss!" The rest of the demons began joining in on the chant, even The Bubbler. The only ones that didn't chant were Antibug and Stoneheart.

Chat began to become terrified. He wanted out, he wanted to get away, he didn't want to kiss anyone. But the grip that Stoneheart had on him was too tight.

"Come on Chat, you'll like it. Now pucker up." Antibug said as she closed her eyes and began puckering her lips. Stoneheart began pushing Chat closer towards Antibug against his will. He tried digging his claws into the ground to remain in place, but Stoneheart's strength was too much for his claws to resist.

Chat closed his eyes and began preparing himself for the worst.

" _Remember Adrien, only kiss those who you truly love. Make every kiss special and memorable._ "

"No." Chat said underneath his breath. His body began to stiffen up as determination filled his body. He could feel a strange energy surround his hands. It felt like a weird, tingling sensation to him but he could also feel he was in complete control of it as well.

He reached behind him and grabbed Stoneheart's arm. Using all of his strength, he flipped the stone monster over his shoulders and slammed him onto the ground in front of Antibug; shattering the skeleton arm in the process. The strange energy on Chat's hands began to surround Stoneheart and cover his entire body.

Suddenly, Stoneheart's body exploded. Tiny stones began raining around the area, which made all of the demons speechless in disbelief. They all looked at Chat Noir and quickly began fearing him, all of them not wanting to end up as his next victim.

"Just because we're demons doesn't mean that we have to treat each other that way." Chat glared at Antibug, which caused her to back up in terror. "No wonder humans fear us."

He let out a sigh and began to calm himself down, which caused the energy to fade away. He kicked one of the stones on the ground and frowned. "I'm sure my Father can rebuild him. I'm… I'm sorry for everything."

Chat began walking away, leaving the group of demons still speechless and in fear of him. A swarm of shadows appeared in front of Chat, which caused him to stop and wait. His father stepped through. He was clapping and had a rather pleasant looking smile on his face.

"Excellent work Chat Noir. You have far exceeded my expectations."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. All I asked of you was to gain their trust then crush it. I wanted them to hate you but you went beyond that. You made them _fear_ you. That is a sign that you will become an excellent ruler of this realm one day, possibly even surpassing me."

"I- urr…" Chat looked away, feeling ashamed for what he had done. However, his father wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to his body, as if to give him a hug. Chat had to admit, his touch was cold and rather uncomfortable, but there was something pleasant about it. He thought perhaps it was because he was being praised. He honestly missed the feeling, seeing as his mother was no longer around to praise him. "Thank you Father."

"Come my boy. Let's resume your training. We'll leave these demons to reflect upon their mistakes."

Chat Noir looked back at the group of demons. The Evillustrator, Reflekta, and Princess Fragrance had all joined the circle now and appeared to be upset seeing Stoneheart in his current condition. Chat still felt guilty for what he had done but there was nothing he could do now except to ask his father to remake the demon. But that would have to wait for later.

* * *

He had to admit, for the short amount time he knew the demons, they did seem pretty friendly. In fact, if they hadn't forced him to kiss Antibug, he could picture that they all could've been friends. But sadly, that wasn't the reality he was in right now.

Luckily though, now he had new friends, genuine ones at that! Ones that don't force him to do anything he's uncomfortable with. Even though he was deceiving them like he was with the demons, his feelings for them weren't any less genuine.

"Adrien!" Marinette called out, waving her hand in front of Adrien's face. He finally snapped back to reality and shook away his thoughts. "Sorry, I was daydreaming there. What did you say?"

"Alya and Nino are going to the movies after school! Want to make it a double date?"

Adrien smiled at the three of them, taking pleasure in the fact that they were asking him first instead of roping him into it. Not to mention that he was feeling happy that he had the three of them in his life. "Sure, I'd love to!"


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

One night after school, Chat decided he wanted to be cheeky with Marinette and surprise her with a playful but loving pounce and embrace once she came home from school. She didn't mind his hugs every now and then; it was the one type of affection he showed her that she didn't mind. He thought though today, he'd try and combine his playful nature with his hugs and really give Marinette a shock.

He waited patiently by her room's door, waiting for her to open it up and poke her head through. He knew she was on her way home as Adrien had spotted Marinette walking home with Alya earlier on. It was just a matter of time now until she arrived.

After a few minutes, Chat saw the door to her room swing open. Blue hair poked through the opening which meant it was his time to strike. He leaped up into the air and spread his arms out wide. However, as he soared, he caught a glimpse of the person's face and realized that he was making a horrible mistake.

"Hi Mom! Hi Dad! I'm home!" Marinette announced as she entered the doorway. "Alya and I ran into Jukela and Rose on the way home!"

She set her bag aside and proceeded further into her home. She stopped after a few steps when she saw her parents sitting at the dining room table, both of them with their hands folded on the table and appearing to be cross with her. She wondered why she was receiving such a concerning look from them, but she quickly remembered why. "I'm really sorry I didn't call ahead to say I'd be late."

"That's not what this is about pumpkin." her father said.

"Then what?"

As if on cue, a small black cat jumped up from her mother's lap and onto the table. It walked to the end of the table and sat down, staring up at Marinette with big green eyes.

"Aweee! A kitty!" Marinette exclaimed as soon as she laid her eyes on the kitten. She raced over and picked it up and began nuzzling it. "Where did you get it from?"

"We were hoping you'd tell us." her mother replied. "We found him in your room."

"In my room? But I… don't…" Marinette looked down at the kitten, hoping that her thoughts weren't true. As she examined the sparkling, round, green eyes of the kitten she realized exactly who it was. In her mind, all she could think of to say was " _Oh no…_ "

"Marinette, we know now. You don't have to pretend any longer." her mother said, with a hint of seriousness in her voice.

"P-pretend?" she asked, feeling flustered by the whole situation and had no idea what else to say.

"Yes, we've known for a while you've been keeping a secret from us." her father continued. "We weren't exactly sure what it was, but we trusted that you would come to us when you felt ready to."

"H-how did you know?"

"Let's see… we hear strange noises come from your room every so often." Her mother began as she counted on her fingers. "We hear you talking to someone when no one else is up there, you've been using excuses to try and get us out of the house and shop frequently, and more food than usual has been disappearing."

Marinette glared down at the kitten with a disapproving look. The kitten just mewed at her as a response.

"We were more than willing to wait until you were comfortable enough to come to us with this, but your mother accidentally found the kitten in your room late this afternoon. It leaped at her and nearly made her fall down the ladder and injure her back. Luckily, your mother doesn't go down that easily."

"Yeah…" Marinette said as she chuckled awkwardly. She glared at the kitten once more and said "That is definitely lucky!"

"We can't keep silent anymore though." her mother continued. "Now that it almost caused an accident, it needs to be out in open."

"Oh… Okay." Marinette placed the kitten on the table and sat down beside her father. "What did you want to know then?"

"How about where you found him?" Tom began.

"Umm…" Marinette took a few seconds, pretending that she was struggling to remember when in reality, she was trying to come up with a quick lie to cover for the actual truth. She knew that if she told them the truth, it wouldn't go over very well at all. "I found him by an alley I think a little while ago. Just a little bit after I got discharged from the hospital. I was walking home alone and fell over because of my cast. He came out from the alley and began nuzzling my face. I began petting him and offered some leftover food from my lunch but his umm… faaather… saw this and abandoned him."

"Now Marinette, you know you shouldn't touch wild animals. You know that the parents will abandon their young if they smell human scent on them." Sabine scolded.

"I know… but he was so cute that I couldn't resist!" Marinette's heart was racing a mile a minute by this point. Telling such a detailed and elaborate lie that she was making up as she went along was stressing her out. It looked like though, for the time being, they were buying it. "I felt bad so I took him in. The only reason why I didn't tell you guys was because I didn't know what you would say. I didn't want you to say no and have to abandon him back onto the streets. I was going to tell you eventually but I just got too nervous as time went on... I hope you're not mad."

Both of her parents shared a concerned look with each other. Tom placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulders and smiled. "We're not mad; we're just disappointed that you didn't trust us enough."

The words cut deep into Marinette's heart and made her pain feel even worse. However, she knew that something along those lines would've been said eventually. In a situation like the one she was in right now, it was almost guaranteed.

"We would've understood if you came to us right away and explained the situation." her mother added.

"I know… I'm really sorry."

"Normally we'd discuss a punishment," Tom said. However, he reached over and began tickling the kitten's chin playfully, causing a delightful smile appear on both of their faces. "But it looks like you've been taking good care of this kitten so we'll let this incident slide just this once since you have been showing responsibility with it."

"Are… are we going to keep him?" Marinette asked, feeling slightly anxious about the answer.

"Yes, we will." Sabine replied, with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you both!" Marinette cheered. She gave her Dad a tight hug, and then raced over to her Mom's side to give her one too.

"You're sure it's a stray though?" her mother asked while receiving the hug. "If it's a lost kitten we should put up posters."

"Yes, I'm one hundred percent sure. The umm… father didn't have any tags as well. They were alley cats, I promise."

"Well alright then!" her father exclaimed as he rose from his seat. "We'll begin official introductions to the family at once! Your mother and I will go out and get some toys and supplies from the pet store and Marinette, I trust you'll call the vet and set up an appointment?"

"An appointment? For what?"

"To get him neutered." Sabine responded.

"Meow?" the kitten mewed, having a hint of terror in his voice.

"S-sure, of course!" Marinette scooped up the kitten into her hands and began racing upstairs. "I'll make the call from my room then! Thank you both for everything, I love you!"

As soon as Marinette was in her room and was sure that the door was shut tight, she dropped the cat to the ground and ran over to her desk. A cloud of smoke engulfed the kitten and replaced it with the figure of the cat-like demon that Marinette knows all too well. He smiled at her while spinning his tail. "Well that went well!"

Marinette brought out the water bottle that she had hidden away in her desk and began spraying Chat while yelling, "BAD CAT, BAD CAT, BAD CAT!"

After a dozen squeezes of the bottle, she calmed down and decided that squirting Chat won't make her feel any better. Instead, she unscrewed the top and poured the entire contents of the bottle onto Chat's head. She looked at Chat's dripping wet sad face and sighed with relief. "That's much better!"

"Yeah… I deserve that." Chat admitted.

"Now talk Chat. I want answers and start from the beginning."

"Well… I wanted to surprise you after school with a playful leap. But it was your mother who came up and not you so I turned into a kitten to hide my identity."

"And you never thought to make yourself invisible and intangible?"

Chat began laughing awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head. "I uhh… I panicked."

"Great…" Marinette said as she rolled her eyes. "Not only do I have to hide a demon from my parents but I also have to keep up a charade that there's a kitten living here too. I hope you like being a cat Chat since it looks like you'll be one for a looong time."

"Nope!" Chat said with a proud smile. "I actually thought ahead about that!"

"Chat…" Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you do?"

At that moment, Marinette's closet door swung open which made her jump in fear. A little black kitten, that looked like Chat when he was in his kitten disguise, rolled out from it as it played with one of her shoes.

Marinette went wide eyed with surprise, quickly realizing what Chat meant. "You didn't!"

"Now don't worry Princess, he's a stray like me!" Chat went over to the kitten and held him up in the air. "He can fill in for me when I'm not around or at night! What do you say, can he stay?"

Both Chat's eyes and the kitten's went big and watery, trying to appeal to Marinette and force her to say yes. She could care less about Chat's expression, but the kitten's really pried at her heart. She walked over to it and held it up against her chest. It began purring, feeling happy by her touch and hearing her heartbeat. "Well… he is pretty cute."

"Oh sweetie!" Tom called out as he opened her door. Chat froze up and stood still, hoping that his invisibility to other humans was working.

Tom held up a raw fish and smiled. "I have a little treat for your kitten if you want!"

"Oh! Thanks Dad!"

"I'll leave it here for when he's ready." he said, placing the fish on the floor in front of him. "Your mother and I are going out now. We'll be back in a bit."

"Okay, see you soon!"

As soon as he was sure that Marinette's Dad had left and was unable to hear them, Chat jumped for joy upon seeing the treat. "Oh boy! Fish!"

Chat leaped at the fish, excited to get his claws on it. But before he could grasp onto it, Marinette slipped it away from his reach and handed it to the kitten. "Oh no! This is Plagg's food! Not yours!"

"But-"

"You've been a bad cat Chat! You don't get no treats!" Marinette held up the kitten, now known as Plagg, and smiled at it. "Come on Plagg, I have a cute little collar that would be perfect for you!"

Marinette cradled the kitten in her arms and walked over to her desk. As she searched through the drawers for the collar she was looking for, Chat came over and began glaring at the kitten. "I hate you."


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone~  
So this chapter I actually wrote for my best friend/beta reader as a little gift to her~ I was debating whether or not to release it for everyone to read but I went ahead with it because of the fluff and humour~  
It might feel a little bit different than the rest of the chapters since I kinda catered the chapter to her :P So I apologize for that ^^; Feel free to consider it non-canon if you want~  
Hope y'all like it anyways :D

* * *

 **Chapter 40**

One night after school, Alya came over to Marinette's house so that the two girls could work on a project together. Knowing this, Chat left the two alone to their work but he said to Marinette that if she needed him, all she needed to do was call.

As Alya went to grab a piece of paper from Marinette's desk, something underneath her friend's bed caught her eye. "Hey, Marinette, there's a pillow underneath your bed or something."

"A pillow?" Marinette spun around in her chair and looked at where Alya was referring to. Sure enough, she spotted what looked like a corner of pillow sticking out from underneath her bed which was odd to her. The pillows she sleeps on were still on her bed and the extra pillows that she had for guests were stored away in the storage closet. Why would there be a pillow underneath her bed?

She reached down, grabbed a hold of the corner, and pulled the item out. She held it up and examined it. When she realized what the item was, her face immediately turned red from embarrassment.

Alya came over and examined the item as well. She couldn't help but laugh at what the object was. She nudged Marinette's side and winked at her. "Girl, I didn't know you were into that."

The object Marinette was holding up was indeed a pillow, but it was a special kind of pillow. It was double the size of a regular pillow, long enough for someone to hold and cuddle with. As well, there was an image of a long, black haired woman in a strapless black dress and black and purple checkered socks with dark angel wings plastered on the pillow. To the general public, this object was dubbed as a "body pillow".

"No, no, no! This isn't mine!" Marinette protested, feeling flustered to even be holding the object. She tossed it away, having it land on her bed.

"Oh really?" Alya began to tease. "Then whose is it?"

"I- I- I-" The blush on Marinette's face intensified even more. She knew that Alya wouldn't believe her if she told the truth, which was that she had no idea who it belonged to. She took another look at it and quickly realized _exactly_ who it belonged to. She let out a sigh, realizing that she would have to lie. "It's Adrien's."

"Adrien's? Oh, now this is a scoop!"

"No! Not like that!" Marinette protested once more. She felt bad having to drag Adrien into her lie, but it was the only thing she could come up with. "I mean… it will be Adrien's. It's his umm… birthday gift. I've had it for a while but I forgot about it until now."

"His birthday gift?" Alya began Marinette up and down, trying to look for signs that she was lying. All Marinette did in response was give her a rather awkward looking smile. Alya just sighed and shook her head. "A body pillow for his birthday? Girl, you need to get some better ideas because that's horrible."

"It's what makes him happy!" Marinette said as she tried to laugh the topic away.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the two girls decided to call it for the night and for Alya to go home. As Marinette bid Alya farewell at her door, she held the body pillow from before in her arms. As soon as Alya was gone, she was going to give the owner of it an earful.

Marinette waited a couple of minutes to make sure that Alya was a safe distance away. Once she was sure she yelled out, "CHAT NOIR!"

Immediately, the cat-like demon appeared before Marinette in a cloud of black smoke. He bowed at her with a delightful smile on his face. "At your service my lady."

Marinette held up the pillow and glared at Chat. "What is this?"

Chat Noir looked up, his happiness quickly increasing as he examined the object. He reached out, grabbed the item from Marinette's hands and began hugging it while yelling "HOMURA!"

Marinette couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't believe that she was watching a cat-like demon hugging a body pillow of an anime girl with wings. She honestly felt like she was dreaming but she knew that not even her subconscious could conceive such a nightmare for her.

After Chat finished giving his pillow the affection he wanted to give it, he turned to Marinette and smiled. "It's Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica in her demon form from the third movie!"

"Yes, I know _who_ it is Chat but… _why_ do you have it?"

"She's my waifu!" Chat said with a proud smile on his face.

"Your waifu… Homura is your…" Marinette began holding her head, still not believing the situation she was in. "Okay, there is so many things wrong with that but I'm not going to ask. How about this: Why is there a body pillow of your 'waifu' underneath my bed?"

"I had to find a place to keep her safe!" Chat said with a chuckle. He held up the pillow and tilted it from side to side as if to make her dance. "You wouldn't keep this poor girl out on the streets where I live, would you?"

"Yes. I would." Marinette stated blankly. "Because it's a pillow, not an actual person!"

"I know, but I don't want to get it dirty!"

"You don't want to get it dirty…" Marinette repeated, shaking her head. "Chat, do you even know what body pillows are for?"

"Of course!" Chat said proudly. "I've done my research! According to the internet, having something to cuddle at night reduces stress, provides a good night's sleep and makes the person feel less lonely! Granted, I don't need to sleep but it's been doing wonders for my stress and loneliness! Most people use stuffed animals but I read that body pillows provide the same results! So I got one of my waifu to hold at night when you're asleep!"

"Wow." Marinette said, being the only word that she could say in response. "Just… wow."

She walked over to her dining room table and sat on one of its chairs. She rested her elbows on the table and began massaging the temples of her head to try and ease her mind and snap back into reality. She turned to Chat and shook her head at him. "You are seriously too innocent for your own good Chat. I'm going to have to start putting a child lock on the internet. I can't let the internet corrupt you even more."

"Who says I haven't already been corrupted?" Chat teased, raising his eyebrows up and down at Marinette. She just looked away and tried to ignore his joke. "Either way, it can't stay here. It's bad enough Alya discovered it. I would literally DIE if my parents ever found out about it."

"But! But! She has nowhere to go except the streets!" Chat said as he frowned.

"Don't care, she's not staying here."

Chat poofed over to Marinette's side and began looking at her with big, sad, watery eyes. Marinette made the mistake of looking at him and started feeling bad for saying no. Despite the look, she turned away and shielded her face while she said to him, "No Chat, she can't stay."

"Well, what if I changed the image for when I'm not around? I could turn it into Adrien if you want!"

Marinette looked at Chat with a blank expression on her face. She had to admit, the idea of having an Adrien body pillow was slightly tempting to her, but there were a few problems with it and seeing Chat's eyebrows wiggle wasn't helping them any. She held up her right index finger at him. "One, that doesn't solve the problem of getting rid of it."

She raised her middle finger to coincide with her count. "And two, it's weird to have a body pillow of a real life person. Fictional characters are one thing but a real life person is a flat out no with no room for discussion."

"Okay…" Chat's ears began to droop, being disappointed that he wasn't able to convince Marinette. However, a brilliant idea sparked up in his mind which caused his ears to perk up once more. "I know! I can turn it into your husbando instead!"

Marinette blinked twice. "Who says I have a 'husbando'? I'm quite loyal to Adrien thank you very much."

"Come on Princess, everyone has a husbando!" Chat began chuckling, taking amusement from the topic of discussion. "So who is it?"

A small blush began to form on Marinette's cheeks which Chat quickly noticed. She turned away from him, refusing to make eye contact with him. Her efforts to hide the truth were too late however, the blush was tell enough for Chat. "There is someone! Ooo! Come on Princess you have to tell me! Come on, please, please, please!"

Marinette pulled up her jacket above her head to try and hide her face completely from the demon. She was way too embarrassed to admit who it was to him.

"Let me guess, Itachi Uchiha from Naruto?"

"No."

"Kirito from Sword Art Online?"

"Nope."

"Lord Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord?"

"Ew. No."

"Decim from Death Parade?"

"Who? … Definitely not."

"Wait…" Chat leaned in closer to Marinette, trying to inspect as much of her face as he could without getting too much into her personal space. A sly smile appeared on his face, thinking he realized why Marinette was so flustered. "Marinette, do you have a waifu instead of a husbando?"

"Nope. I definitely do not."

The confidence in Marinette's voice meant to Chat that she was indeed, telling the truth. He thought he had figured it out but apparently not. He sighed and sat on the chair across from her. "If you don't tell me Princess then I'll just keep guessing. Do you know how much anime I've watched when you're away? We could be here allllll night."

Marinette grumbled inside of her jacket, realizing that Chat wasn't bluffing. She let out a defeated sigh and put her jacket back on her shoulders. She looked at him, intending to tell him dead on but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she looked away and mumbled softly, "Mika."

Chat tilted his head. "Pardon?"

"Mika Hyakuya… from Owari No Seraph."

Marinette suddenly heard a poof sound that came from across from her. When she turned to look, she saw that Chat Noir had disappeared with his pillow. She heard the sounds of typing coming up from her room, which caused her to quickly race upstairs to see what was going on. Once she was up, she saw Chat sitting at her computer and the screen in front of him was displaying images of the blond haired vampire she mentioned earlier.

"So this is your husbando huh? Not bad…" Chat said as he scrolled through various images. "You know, I've been meaning to watch Owari No Seraph. It's on my 'to watch' list."

"I _so_ can't wait for the day when that happens." Marinette said sarcastically. She knew that one of the characters in the anime would be a bad influence on Chat once he's introduced to her, and she was not looking forward to the antics he'll be pulling thanks to her.

"You know…" Chat said, looking carefully at one of the images. "He kinda reminds me of Adrien a bit."

Marinette's face quickly became red once more, starting to make the distinction herself for the first time. She never realized it before but he was right. The two did indeed look similar, barring some obvious differences like eye colour and outfit choice.

"Welp, consider it done then!" Chat said, then snapped his fingers. The image on his body pillow shifted from the demonic woman the blond, red-eyed vampire, keeping the same position and expression on their face.

Marinette looked at the body pillow and began to scowl seeing it, with the blush on her face fading away. She turned to her desk, brought out a squirt bottle of water and began spraying at it. She was yelling at him, "NO! BAD KITTY! YOU DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT GIVE MIKA RED EYES! HE IS PRECIOUS AND DOES NOT DESERVE THEM!"

"Hey! Hey!" Chat hissed as he tried to shield himself from the water. "I was just going off of the reference!"

Hearing those words made Marinette calm down and stop spraying him. "Sorry about that Chat… I'm a little defensive over Mika is all…"

"it's fine Princess, really." Chat turned to the screen and looked back at the images of Mika. "Ah yep, I see it now. There are some pics of him here where he has blue eyes. It's my bad."

"No, it's also my fault too Chat." Marinette tossed her water bottle back in her desk. "You didn't know about the red eyes. I shouldn't punish you for it."

Chat clicked his fingers once again and the eye colour of the vampire shifted so that they were blue now instead of red. Marinette let out a sigh of relief seeing them.

"How come he has two different eye colours?" Chat asked, being genuinely curious.

"The blue is his natural eye colour." Marinette replied, feeling a bit distressed from having to recount the events. "When he turned into a vampire they turned red since all vampires have red eyes."

"I see. And I can tell from your reaction and my wet body that it was a bad thing he turned into a vampire."

Marinette nodded. "Yup. The red eyes are a symbol basically for him losing his humanity and all of his human emotions. You see, he was a human first, then a half human/half vampire who slowly was losing his grip on his humanity and survival. He had to turn into a full vampire in order to survive and protect someone, but that also meant he had to give up almost everything he cherished as well and become what he hated most."

"Ooo! I'm intrigued." Chat's tail was wagging around his body, which told Marinette that he was interested in the story. "Tell me more!"

Marinette giggled, finding Chat's curiosity cute. She walked over to her bed and began patting the empty space beside her to invite Chat over. "Why tell you when I can show you? Let's watch Owari No Seraph together!"

"S-sure! I'd love to Princess!"

Chat quickly popped the anime on her laptop and sat beside her as it played. The two spent the entire night watching the whole series together. They both relied on each other for emotional support during some of the more intense scenes. Even though Marinette had watched the series already and knew what was coming up, she still needed someone to hold onto for comfort.

When it was over, Chat went on how much he liked the anime and wished there was more. He understood why too Marinette had Mika as her husbando and why she got so defensive about the red eyes.

Despite the experience the two shared, Marinette still didn't permit Chat to keep his body pillow in her room. However, she made the suggestion of keeping it in their basement. They used the space mainly for storage and her parents only went down there to get decorations for upcoming holidays. It was the perfect place to keep it whenever Chat wasn't using it. The only condition was that he had to hide it well down there and to make sure he didn't disturb anything if he was down there for any reason. The last thing she wanted was mysterious noises coming from her basement and her parents freaking out about it. Luckily, Chat had no qualms with her conditions and enthusiastically accepted her offer.

Although Marinette could've suggested that from the very beginning, she was glad she didn't. She got to share a wonderful night with Chat Noir and bond with him too. To Marinette, it was definitely worth the time. She just hoped that he didn't pick up any of Shinoa's tricks. She didn't think she'd be able to handle it...


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

Alya looked over her shoulder to check on her friend and saw Marinette was darting her head side to side frantically. She never thought Marinette would be in such a state when she asked her to hang out.

"Marinette, you have to chill!" Alya said as she slowed her pace until she was walking beside her friend. "I promise you, you're safe as long as you stick with me."

"That's easy for you to say Alya." Marinette replied, tensing up even more at the thought of what could happen. "You don't know how powerful he is."

The "person" in question that Marinette and Alya were referring to was none other than Chat Noir. It was April 1st, which meant for the human realm that it was April Fool's Day. Originally, Chat Noir didn't know of the existence or the significance of the day and Marinette made the mistake of telling him what it was for. Now, she had found herself to be the target of his childish pranks. Already she's suffered through three whoopee cushion incidents, one screensaver jumpscare prank, two water buckets falling on her head, and one sink spraying her in the face. Apparently Chat Noir didn't know the meaning of the term "moderation" but it's not like Marinette told him to do the pranks within reason as well.

In order to escape from his pranks and to keep her sanity, Marinette called up Alya to hang out. She knew that Chat Noir wouldn't present himself in front of her friend and Alya would always have her back if he did try something funny. However, that didn't shake the anxiety from Marinette's mind. After all, Chat Noir was a demon who could do anything and everything. He could prank her from the shadows and Alya would be none the wiser. Still, being around her did reduce the chance of a prank and she hoped that would be enough.

"Why don't you just tell him off then?" Alya suggested. "Just go up to him and tell him to stop."

"I would if I could but I haven't seen him all day. He's been planning these pranks from the shadows, I know he has."

"Text him then."

Marinette's scowl grew even worse. "He's uhh… very old fashioned. He doesn't have a cell phone."

"You're kidding me." Alya groaned as she held her head. "Well, don't worry. I got your back."

"Thanks Alya." Her friend's words were pretty reassuring to her, enough for Marinette to relax a bit. "I really appreciate it."

"I have the perfect thing we can do too to pass the time! Follow me!"

* * *

The two girls giggled as they shuffled through the aisle to get to their seats. Alya had the brilliant idea of going to see a movie at the theatres. It was dark, it was crowded, and it would kill a couple of hours while the two bonded. Plus, it would be near impossible for anyone to prank Marinette or else they'd be kicked out immediately.

Both Marinette and Alya let out a relieved sigh once they were finally in their seats. They were happy and excited to see the movie that was about to play. They rested their buckets of popcorn on their legs and put their drinks in the cup holders in front of them.

"So tell me what this is about again?" Alya asked.

"It's about a group of five ex-criminals banding together to save the galaxy from a galactic threat."

"And one of them's a raccoon and another one is a tiny baby tree alien?" Marinette nodded at Alya's question, causing the other to shrug. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. It sounds unique to say the least."

"You'll love it, trust me!"

Marinette reached down into her bucket of popcorn to pluck a piece from it. However, just as she grabbed it, something popped out from deep within the bucket and grabbed ahold of her.

Marinette screamed at the top of her lungs and tossed the bucket of popcorn away, taking the object with it. The popcorn spilled out from the bucket and all over the floor, revealing more of the object in the process.

Alya reached down and held up the bucket to look at it. She saw that apparently the bucket had been equipped with an animatronic hand that had a motion sensor attached to it, much like a classic Halloween decoration would have for trick-or-treaters.

"How did this…" Alya said before she trailed off in her thoughts, thinking as to how such a contraption got into their grasp in the first place. "Was this guy that's pranking you the concession stand guy?"

Alya looked over and saw that Marinette had curled herself up into a ball with her teeth chattering, still being in shock from the prank. However, the question did process in her mind which caused Marinette to shake her head.

"Then how the…" Alya dug into her bucket but found its contents to be normal. Just popcorn and butter, no animatronic hand at all. "Man this guy is good."

An image began to appear on the screen at the front of the theatre. At first, it looked like blood was dripping down from the top of the screen but as it dripped down, it began spelling a name. As Alya had suspected, the name that is spelled was none other than "Marinette".

Alya spun around in her seat and looked up to where the projector room was but she saw no one was inside. She slumped down in her seat and grumbled, feeling more annoyed than Marinette was about this guy's persistence to prank Marinette.

* * *

Alya made the decision to leave the theatre and go somewhere else. There was no telling what could've happened if they had stayed there. They weren't able to get a refund for their tickets but Alya didn't care. She was the one that payed for them and her friend's mental well-being was more important than a few bucks anyways.

She considered taking Marinette somewhere else, like an amusement park or to the Eiffel Tower. But she was afraid that he'd be able to get her there as well. So she decided just to go to the park that they always hang out at. It was a nice, wide open area so no one could sneak up on them without them noticing and there wasn't much around to prank Marinette with either.

"Excuse me for a second Alya, I have to use the restrooms."

"Go for it."

Alya kept a careful eye on Marinette as she walked over to the outdoor bathroom, making sure that no one approached her. Something had caught her eye though. Behind the stone-built area where people went to do their "business" was a large metal container. It wasn't there before.

Just as Alya was about to ignore the container, she heard shrieks come from the bathroom. And just as she feared, they belonged to Marinette as well.

She raced over as fast as she could to make sure her friend was alright. When she stepped into the women's bathroom she found herself in standing beside Marinette and facing a scene that made her very, very confused.

"Excuse me but we're having a board meeting here!" a businessman said, looking at the two girls.

Somehow, in some way, the entire women's bathroom was replaced with an office that was full of businessmen that sat around a round table.

"I'm just… I'm just…" Alya stammered, being speechless at the sight. Marinette turned around and began slamming her head against the wall beside her. "Why! Won't! He! Stop!"

"Come on," Alya said as she grabbed Marinette's hand and led her out of the room. "There's gotta be somewhere we can go that he can't get to you."

An idea began to form in Marinette's head. She didn't know if the idea would work but it was worth a shot regardless.

* * *

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like my daughters. May peace be upon you." the priest said as he bowed to them. They both bowed back as a sign of respect and appreciation.

Marinette had the idea that the only way to escape from Chat Noir was to be around holy grounds. As Chat told her once before, demons and holiness don't mix well. And what was holier than a Church? If her theory was correct then there was no way Chat Noir could get to step foot inside, and so, she would be safe.

Admittedly, it was pretty weird for two teenage girls to be hanging out inside of a Church. Even Alya thought it was an odd choice of location, but Marinette lied and said that her friend refused to step inside a Church so it was the safest place. Boy was she hoping that she was right.

Both of them told the priest of their predicament and he offered them sanctuary, which they were both thankful for. It would be hard for them to spend a lot of time but at least they'd be safe from pranks.

Marinette went over to the windows that peered into the outside and there, sitting on the sidewalk just in front of the Church, was a black cat just staring in. Its bright green eyes were familiar to Marinette; she knew exactly who they belonged to.

A small gust of wind blew from the outside, carrying a small piece of paper with it. Eventually, the paper was pushed against the glass window where Marinette was looking out. She saw that there was something written on it and as soon as she read it, she knew who it was meant for. On it were the words; " _Not fair!_ "

She stuck her tongue out at the black cat and walked away, intending to join back with Alya. She wouldn't give the cat the satisfaction of attention.

After a few hours, Marinette's stomach began to rumble. Alya poked fun at the noise it made but her own stomach made the exact same noise a couple moments later. The two girls were getting hungry, especially since they haven't had a bite to eat all day. The priest came by every now and then and offered them something to eat or drink but they refused each time. They felt bad enough that they were using the Church as their hiding place, there was no way they could accept food from him.

"You know Alya, it's me he wants…" Marinette started as she began holding her stomach. "You can go home safely, prank free, and eat dinner with your family."

"Girl," Alya placed both her hands on Marinette's shoulders and stared into her eyes with a determined look. "What kind of friend would I be if I left you here all alone? We're in this together until the end!"

"Thank you." Marinette said, as a warm smile grew across her face. "You're a great friend Alya!"

At that moment, there was a knock on the front doors of the Church. Both Marinette and Alya found it odd that someone would knock on the doors rather than just enter, seeing as it's a public place. They waited to see if the priest would get it but after a few more sets of knocks, they decided to answer it for him.

They swung open the doors and found a delivery boy for a local pizzeria standing in front of them, with what looked to be about 20 pizzas in his hands.

"I have 20 large anchovy pizzas and a message for a Miss… Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette peered past the delivery boy and saw the black cat still sitting on the sidewalk, wagging its about as if it was proud of something. She narrowed her eyes at it and internally cursed the day she met it.

"We didn't order any pizzas." Alya spoke for Marinette.

"Well someone did." he huffed. "I can't go back without payment. This is too large of an order."

"What does the message say?" Marinette asked as she turned her attention back to the situation in front of her.

The delivery boy scrounged around for a second to find his notepad, but he eventually found it and read the message out loud for the girls. "I can find other ways to prank you. Haha."

"This guy is a psycho." Alya commented.

"No, he's just _too_ evil of a genius." Marinette sighed and dug into her purse. She pulled out her credit card and handed it to the delivery boy. "My parents are going to kill me but there's no point in having you get in trouble for a prank. Will this do?"

"As long as it clears."

The delivery boy took Marinette's credit card and handed Alya the pizzas in exchange as he got out his portable machine to charge the card. As Marinette and the delivery boy went through the process of payment, Alya looked at the pizzas and just shook her head. "What are we going to do with all these pizzas?"

Marinette returned the machine back to the delivery boy and took her card back, letting him be on his merry way. She had to admit, she had no idea what to do herself but as she peered deep into the Church, she got an idea.

"EXCUSE ME! FATHER!" Marinette called out, summoning the priest to their location. She smiled and had Alya hold out the pizzas at him. "Would you per chance have any homeless or starving people that would like some pizzas for dinner tonight?"

"Oh bless your little hearts! This- this is so sweet of you two!" The priest leaned in and gave both of them a gentle yet affectionate hug to show his appreciation. "Yes! There are a bunch of people that would love to have such a feast!"

"Lead the way then!" Marinette said enthusiastically.

The priest took half of the boxes to ease Alya's burden and began leading them to the back of the Church where they kept their food. Just before Marinette followed after them, she looked behind them and set her sights on the black cat that was still on the sidewalk. She said to it, "I win."

That night was the night that went down in Paris history. Alya and Marinette became known as the two girls who turned a prank into a selfless act of kindness. Marinette had to admit, she felt guilty and a little awkward that she was getting praise and recognition for something that anyone should do under the circumstances. Alya felt the same as well, but despite how they felt, they were hailed as heroes.

Marinette wasn't in trouble with her parents as well for spending so much. In fact, they were proud of what she did and offered to pay her credit card bill for her. She felt bad that she caused them a financial burden but they insisted it was fine.

As for Chat Noir, let's just say April 2nd was not a dry day for him. No matter how much he tried to justify his actions or try and remind Marinette that because of him people were fed that night, she continued to squirt him with squirt bottles as much as she could. He knew now that next April Fool's Day, he was to leave Marinette well enough alone or else he'd have to face the consequences once again.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

"Chat Noir, I'm home!" Marinette announced as she entered her room. She was excited to tell him that her and Alya received an A+ on the assignment that they've been working on the past few weeks. She knew he'd be excited for her and would probably want to celebrate.

She looked into her room and saw Chat Noir at her balcony, looking out onto the city. This was odd to her as he usually sits in her desk chair or on her bed when she comes home. She wondered if something was up with him.

As she stepped into the room, a huge sense of fear started filling her. The whole atmosphere felt rather sinister and demonic. Of course, Chat was a demon but it never felt like this when she was around him. She couldn't explain why she was feeling this way.

"Chat…" Marinette said, as she slowly approached him. His ears began to wiggle and he spun around. Marinette froze up when she saw him, becoming terrified as well as concerned. "Y-You're not Chat Noir!"

A sinister smile grew across his face. "Of course I am."

"No, you are not!" Marinette repeated as she tried to put on a brave act. She scanned the figure once more, to make sure she wasn't going crazy. "Chat's hair isn't as long as yours and he keeps his suit zipped all the way up! Plus it's always calming being around him!"

The figure began clapping his hands slowly. Marinette wasn't sure if it was genuine praise or if it was being sarcastic.

"You're quite observant, you know that?" The figure clicked his fingers, causing his red eyes to turn red and horns to grow out of his head. "But I am correct when I said I am Chat Noir, just not the one you're used to."

"Wh… what do you mean? Where's the real Chat Noir!?"

The demon pointed behind Marinette. She was reluctant, but she turned and looked to see where he was pointing at. She saw two identical kittens playing with a ball of string in the corner. One of them she knew was Plagg but the other one was a mystery to her.

At least, it was until she figured out what the demon meant.

She turned around and glared at the demon. "The other one is him, isn't it?"

The demon nodded. "Quite so."

"He's done that before, he'll change back any time soon!"

"I think not." The demon clicked his fingers which caused the kitten version of Chat to appear in the palm of his hand. He grasped one of Chat's whiskers and began twirling it in his index finger and thumb, which caused Chat distress but the demon didn't care one bit. "He's trapped in this form until I say so."

"What? … Why?!"

"Oh, did he not tell you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Demon magic is ineffective against demons and their magic that are stronger than the user. And as you can see, your precious 'Chat Noir' is no match for me."

Marinette took a step back, being cautious of her movements. She didn't want to do anything to provoke this demon. He was a threat to her and she was unprepared to deal with him. And with Chat incapacitated, she had to deal with this alone. "Wh- what do you want…?"

The demon snapped his fingers, which made Chat return back to his corner with Noir and the ball of yarn. He snapped his fingers once again and appeared right in front of Marinette, looking down at her with pulsing red eyes. "Simple: I wish to meet the girl that is causing my Father so much trouble."

"Y-You're not here to try and take my soul?"

The demon's smile widened, which sent shivers down Marinette's spine. "Perhaps. Let's see how the night goes, shall we?"

The demon stepped back from Marinette to try and ease her a bit so he could get a decent conversation out of her. He sat down on Marinette's desk chair and folded his leg. "To avoid much confusion, I will permit you to call me Felix."

"Okay… Felix…" Marinette said, with much caution in her tone of voice. She carefully walked over to her bed and sat on it, across from Felix. "You said you wanted to meet me so what do you think so far?"

"Honestly? I'm not impressed." Felix narrowed his eyes at Marinette and examined her, which made her feel uncomfortable. "I will say, you do appear to be calmer than most humans I've encountered. They usually turn into snivelling cowards at the mere sight of me."

"Th-thank you?"

"I wouldn't take it as a compliment. It doesn't mean much, considering you've became adapted being around my kind, all thanks to my idiotic brother."

Marinette peered at the drawer that was beside Felix. She had no idea which way this conversation was turning. She wanted to hear Felix out and hope to have him leave peacefully, but she needed a plan of attack just in case things don't turn out that way. The squirt bottle she keeps to squirt Chat with was tucked away inside her drawer. If she needed to grab it, she'd need to distract or lure Felix away from it in order to get to it.

"Looking for this?" Felix asked, capturing Marinette's attention. Within a click of his fingers, the same squirt bottle she was planning to use was firmly in Felix's hands. He looked at it curiously for a moment, then burned it away in a flame of hellfire. "I will give you kudos, you are smart to want to defend yourself. But such a pathetic, measly weapon would have no effect on me."

Normally, anyone would freeze up in fear once they saw their means of defense burn away. Not Marinette though. She was shocked to see that Felix was onto her, but she didn't let it affect her. Her mind began working on an alternative means to defend herself, starting off by thinking about the sink downstairs. It was definitely stronger than a regular old squirt bottle.

"I'm starting to see why my brother has a fascination with you." Felix spoke as he stood up. He approached Marinette and began grasping her chin. She immediately slapped his hand away without a second thought. He smiled, his thoughts about her being proven right. "You are a fighter. You're not like most other humans. I was created to not have any fascinations with humans or the human world but you have definitely captured my attention."

Marinette began to tense up, not liking where the conversation was heading to.

Felix turned to look at her digital clock. He turned back and clicked his fingers, causing fiery numbers to appear in the air that said "13:00".

"I have made a decision. Since you are a fighter, you will fight for your soul." Felix said with a grin. "I will hunt you down. The arena is the whole city. If you survive until six am then I will return back to my dimension peacefully. I'm sure even you could understand what'll happen if I win."

Marinette's body began to tremble slightly. Even though she was trying to be brave, the thought of a manhunt for her soul frightened her. "And if I refuse?"

Felix's grin grew even wider. "That's cute. You think you have a choice."

He snapped his fingers once again, causing the numbers to count down, as if it were a timer. Seeing these numbers in action made Marinette feel even more terrified than she already was.

"Now, what kind of hunter would I be if I didn't give you a sporting chance?" Felix began pointing out to the balcony. "You have until sundown to prepare your defenses. Once it's dark the hunt will begin."

Marinette remained still, unable to bring herself to move.

Felix leaned in close to her face. "Clock's ticking. And please, make it interesting. My time is valuable and I do not wish to be bored."

Marinette remained still, trying to absorb everything. Once the situation hit her, she immediately jumped off of her bed, grabbed the black kitten in the corner and ran off. She didn't know where to but she knew she had to move.

As Marinette fled, Felix looked around her room, becoming curious with the different objects. His gaze fixated onto her bookshelf. He walked over and picked out one of her graphic novels. He hummed as he thumbed through the book. "Huh. So that's what a magical girl is."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The angst storm begins ouo


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note:** Sorry that this is late ^^; I recently had some minor surgery and forgot to upload it because of the pain I'm in ^^;  
I'm not sure if I'll be able to have a chapter ready for this upcoming Friday so if not, I promise it'll be ready for the 30th~ You have my word :3  
Sorry once again and hope y'all like~ And hope that it was worth the wait too :3

* * *

 **Chapter 43**

Marinette wandered the streets of Paris, trying to calm herself down. She knew she didn't have any time to waste and needed to prepare for the manhunt that was about to occur in the next few hours. Her mind was scattered however, being clouded with a mix of confusion, fear, and doubt. She needed to get a clear mind first so she can properly think about how to handle the situation.

She kept replaying the events from earlier in her mind, wondering how things would've been if she had handled it differently. Would things have ended up the same way had she not glanced at her desk and thought about the water bottle? She did have a right to want to defend herself, seeing as he intruded into her room and put a curse on Chat Noir. Then again, she could've trusted this demon a little more and let things play out. Or perhaps this was Felix's plan from the start? Perhaps he did want to hunt her for her soul and was waiting for any excuse to pull it on her, and if she didn't give him an excuse then he would've made one up. She didn't know, but she was stuck in the situation now and can't change the past.

She looked up at the sky and saw the sun shining nice and brightly. It didn't show any signs of setting any time soon, which was good. It meant that she still had time. She had to guess that she would have about three hours before it fully set. She had to put that time to good use.

She stuck her hand in her purse and began petting the small kitten that was tucked inside, as a means to help relieve her stress. She wanted very badly to pull him out and began talking to him, cheer him on and help inspire him break the curse that was inflicted upon him. However, if what Felix said turned out to be true then she would need to save that for later. Daylight was burning and she needed to figure out a plan of defense first and foremost. Once that was secure then she can talk to Chat and hopefully break the curse.

She began thinking about what all she could do as a means of defense. The first thought that came to mind was asking someone to help. She knew that Alya would always be there for her no matter what, and some of her classmates like Kim or Ivan would jump at the chance to help her if they knew she was in trouble. But the more she thought about it, she would be putting their lives at risk. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to them that they couldn't recover from, not to mention the grief the families would be through too.

She had the thought of going to Chloe for help. She knew that Chloe's place was full of highly trained bodyguards that could protect her. However, the biggest problem with that was that she was going to _Chloe_ for help. She knew Chloe almost too well. No matter what she said, there was a good chance that Chloe would refuse her and kick her out. The only scenario she could imagine where Chloe would help her is if she agreed to break up with Adrien so that Chloe could have him all to herself, which she was _not_ willing to do.

At least… she didn't want it to come to that. She knew Adrien well and she knew he would be understanding about the deal if it meant preserving her life. He was sweet like that, which was one of the things she loved about him. But she loved him too much to have the heart to make a deal like that.

She did consider calling him up and having him drive her out of town, away from Felix. He had his own private jet that could take them anywhere in the world at any point. But that would be against Felix's rules, seeing as the arena was the entire city of Paris. She didn't know what he would do if he ever found her out of bounds. Adrien did have his own bodyguards too that could defend her…

The thought was tempting but she felt unsure about herself. Before she made anything final, she had to figure out how to deal with the demon by herself in case the bodyguards fail. This was her fight after all and chances are, she'd need to confront Felix at some point during the hunt. She needed to focus on that first.

She began thinking about all the different weaknesses demons had throughout the entire time she spent with Chat Noir. The main one that came to mind was water. Felix said she'd need a higher concentration of water in order to fight him. She thought about going to River Seine or Canal Saint-Martin, where there would be lots of water at her disposal. But she would be out in the open without many other means of defense.

Another big one that came to her mind was the Church. She knew that on April Fool's Day Chat Noir couldn't enter the Church. Felix would most likely be the same way as well. Plus there were a bunch of holy items she could use to help defend herself such crosses, prayer beads, and holy water. It seemed like the best option at this point.

Suddenly, she found herself stopping in front of an unfamiliar store that had caught her eye. She looked up at the sign above the entrance which read "Ancient Objects and Mystical Artifacts". She never heard of the store before and it was piquing her curiosity. She felt almost compelled to go inside.

She swung open the door and stepped into the mysterious store, wanting to check it out. She wondered if there was anything for sale that would help with her current predicament. She wasn't holding her breath on it, but it was worth a shot at the very least.

The store had minimal lighting, which made it slightly hard to see a lot of the objects that were being sold. There was an odd atmosphere to it, which felt rather comforting but also made Marinette feel a bit uneasy since it didn't match the theme of the store. That feeling of unease intensified as she examined the items on the shelves. They were all very old and very… grotesque looking items. Some of them weren't so bad like stone tablets and ancient literature but there was a bunch of old and worn down dolls and shrunken heads on the shelves. Seeing them sent shivers down her spine.

"Hello there!" a voice spoke from behind Marinette, which made her shriek from being caught off guard. She turned around and initially didn't see anyone at first but she tilted her head down and saw a rather short Chinese man standing there with a large grin on his face. She quickly recognized the red Hawaiian shirt that he was wearing and the goatee that was on his face. "It's nice to see you again miss!"

"Oh! You're the old man I saved from the truck!" She quickly froze up, realizing the error in her words. "Th-that's not to say that you're old just I-"

"Oh no, no, no, it's alright miss. I know I'm no young plum anymore." the old man began laughing, which made Marinette laugh with him too, even though there was a hint of awkwardness in her laughs. He led her over to the counter where the cash register was located. He hopped up on a stool so the two of them could talk face to face without the difference of their height being in the way. "I never did thank you for saving my life."

"Oh, it's alright, really!" Marinette began laughing awkwardly once again. "After all, I was in the hospital for a while and I was just doing what any decent person would do. No thanks needed!"

The old man nodded. "Either way, my name is Master Fu and I would like to repay your kindness."

"Mine's Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and it's nice to finally meet you Master Fu." She offered her hand to him which he happily accepted and shook. "But you don't need to repay me, really!"

"No, no, I insist Miss Dupain-Cheng. If there's anything you want from my store, feel free to say! It's on the house, no matter the charge! I won't take no for an answer!"

"That's really sweet of you Master Fu but," She turned around and began examining the shelves once again, grimacing as she saw more and more disgusting looking items. Suddenly though, an idea popped in her mind. "Actually, there might be something. Would you happen to have anything to ward off demons or something in that nature?"

"I'm so sorry, but unfortunately there's nothing like that here. I have a rule to not interfere with anything of the demonic nature. I'm terribly sorry."

"Oh, that's alright." Marinette said, waving away his words as if they were no big deal so he didn't feel bad. "It was a shot in the dark is all!"

"However, if there's anything you believe that is cursed, I am more than happy to remove the curse. I will make an exception for that."

"Cursed?" Marinette quickly brightened up, feeling like she had finally caught a break. She quickly dug into her purse and pulled out the black cat that was inside and placed him on the counter in front of Master Fu. "It's funny that you should mention that. This may sound weird but I'm pretty sure my kitten has a spell placed on him. I would be so grateful if you could look it."

"With pleasure!"

Master Fu brought out a gong and small mallet. He hit the large instrument three times with the mallet and placed the objects on the ground. He rubbed his hands together and began holding them in front of the kitten. Marinette watched in amazement as the he performed the ritual. He was doing it so easily, as if he had done it many times before. That might be why he wasn't weirded out when Marinette asked of the request from him.

"I'm so sorry Miss Dupain-Cheng." Master Fu brought down his hands and scowled at Marinette. "I'm afraid that there's no spell or curse placed upon this feline."

"What? That's impossible! That's…" The kitten turned around and meowed at Marinette happily. Marinette took a careful look at it, having the first good look at the kitten since she left her apartment. Suddenly, she realized what Master Fu meant which made her expression drop and her heart race with anxiety.

* * *

"That poor, poor foolish human." Felix spoke as he held a small black kitten in his hands, twirling its whiskers in between his thumb and index finger as he smiled triumphantly. "In her haste, she didn't bother to ensure that the kitten she wanted to take was the right one. I guess you're stuck with me now, aren't you? Chat Noir."


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

Marinette stared at the black kitten in front of her in disbelief. She couldn't believe that she made such an error. She truly meant to grab Chat Noir but she grabbed Plagg instead. Seeing him sent her into a state of panic, all of her thoughts being thrown off balance. She could feel her heart beating even more rapidly than it once was before. Her breathing became shorter and more rapid, almost feeling like she couldn't breathe at all.

Master Fu saw all of the signs she was displaying and immediately brought his stool over for Marinette to sit on while she tried to calm herself down. He took of her hands and patted it, trying to provide comfort for her. Eventually, Marinette managed to get control of herself and calmed down.

"Are you alright now?" Master Fu asked.

"I am." Marinette nodded. "I'm really sorry for all that. I just… panicked is all."

"It's quite understandable." Master Fu traversed back behind his counter, pulling out another stool from the storage room behind him to sit on while he talked with Marinette. "My girl, any trouble that plagues you, you must try and tackle with a clear mind."

"I know. It was just a momentary lapse, that's all." Marinette said as she chuckled awkwardly.

"You are a strong woman and you're capable of great things, even by yourself. I truly believe that whatever trouble you have found yourself in, you'll be able to handle on your own."

"It's not quite as simple as that though…" Marinette froze up, a thought coming across her mind. "Wait a moment, what makes you say all that? We just met."

Master Fu couldn't help but smile at Marinette's question, even though he provided no response to her. Instead, he acted like he was surprised by something to change the topic. "Oh! I really hate to ask this of you Ms. Dupain-Cheng, but I'd like to ask you for a very special favour!"

"What is it?"

Master Fu travelled into the back room once more. A couple of moments later, he returned with a large book in his hands. It looked quite old, with some of the corners appearing to be burned off. There was dirt and cobwebs on the top of the book as well, but Master Fu blew it off so that it wouldn't trouble Marinette. He placed it on the counter in front of Marinette and smiled. "I came across this book during one of my travels around the world. I found it in the basement at a college. I think it used to belong to a sorority. I'm sad to say that it is of the demonic nature. As I mentioned previously, I do not interfere with anything involving demons. I would very much appreciate it if you could take this book off my hands."

Marinette leaned forward and read the title of the book out loud, " _Spells and Incantations From The Fiery Realm_. Are you sure you want me to take this? I'm not quite sure what to do with it."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a use for it." Master Fu said as he waved his hand, dismissing Marinette's concerns. "Perhaps you'll find someone that would be interested in it more than I am."

"Sure… I guess…" Marinette stuffed Plagg back in her purse first before collecting the large book. She nearly dropped it once she took it off of the table. It was a lot heavier than she expected it to be.

Master Fu smiled again. "I want you to remember something too; only you can decide what to do with the book now. It cannot be taken from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marinette asked, feeling confused and concerned by his words.

"You'll find out in due time."

Marinette scowled, not appreciating how cryptic Master Fu was being. This was the third time he had said something confusing to her. She wondered if there was a reason for him saying all of this stuff or if it was just ramblings from old age. Either way, she was burning daylight the longer she stayed in the store. Seeing as once the sun sets and Felix begins his hunt for her, the daylight was a precious resource to her and she had to prepare herself while she could.

"Thank you for everything Master Fu." Marinette said as she bowed at Master Fu.

"It's I who should be thanking you Miss Dupain-Cheng." Master Fu replied happily. "I'm sure our paths will cross again. After all, I still have to reward you not only for saving my life but for taking the book as well."

"You don't have to reward me, it's fine! But I really must be going. Bye Master Fu!"

"See you soon!" Master Fu replied as he waved at her.

Marinette raced out of the store as quick as she could, she had no time to waste. She began walking as she thought; hoping that she was going in the direction of whatever she comes up with as a plan. Her immediate thought was to go back to her house and pick up Chat Noir. Felix said that he wouldn't begin the hunt until sundown so she had time to go back, pick up the kitten, and plan from there. Perhaps she could return back to Master Fu's shop and get the spell lifted off of him. It sounded like a sound plan for her, but the only concern was how long it would take. She wouldn't have much time to set up another plan to fight against Felix with. Plus, Felix said that Chat Noir was weaker than him so she couldn't primarily rely on him as a defense. She still wanted to believe that Chat Noir would be stronger but the evidence was apparent that his words were true.

Suddenly, a strange feeling flowed throughout Marinette's mind. She looked down at the book she was holding which caused the feeling to intensify. It almost felt like she was being compelled to open it and read it.

She sat down on the sidewalk, away from other pedestrian's ways and opened up the book. It almost felt like she didn't have control on her body anymore but she was strangely okay with it. This feeling felt rather calm and soothing, which made her feel at ease with the situation.

The first few pages were some basic black magic spells, nothing she felt she could use. Her eyes glanced at the top of the book and noticed a red bookmark poking up from the top of the pages. She reached up and pulled the book open to where the bookmark was, gaining control of her body once again.

Her eyes grew wide when she realized what the pages had inscribed on it. She read them over multiple times, assuring that what she was reading was true. She rose up and cheered. "I know what I have to do now!"

She quickly dug out her cellphone and checked at the time. She scowled once again while mentally cursing the time. "No time to pick up Chat Noir. I have to hurry if I want this to work."

She clutched the book tightly and ran off, confident and determined that her plan will work.

* * *

-2 hours later-

Felix stared out over Marinette's balcony, watching patiently as the sun was on its final stretches of disappearing for the night. He examined the city that would soon be the arena for both him and his prey. He had to admit, the sight was definitely different than the fire and brimstone filled realm he came from. He took in the sight for as long as he could and burning it into his memory, since he knew that when he returned back home he probably wouldn't get another chance to see it ever again.

He looked back up at the sky and saw that the sun had completely disappeared. A sinister smile crept across his face. "The hunt begins."


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

It didn't take long for Felix to find Marinette. She held herself up in a small church that wasn't far from her home. He looked through the windows and saw her standing there, looking out at him. In one of her hands she held an old wooden cross and in the other was a sharp kitchen knife. Her body was trembling, which he assumed was from fear. Seeing Marinette like this… was pathetic to him.

Felix sighed and stepped forward. "Are you serious Marinette? A church, a cross, and a knife? That's the best you could come up with in that generous amount of time I gave you. Disgusting. I thought I asked you to make it interesting for me. It's almost as if you want to throw away your life."

Marinette stepped away from the windows and pushed open the doors. She stepped out and stood on the steps above Felix. Then, much to his surprise, she dropped both the knife and the cross and sat down the steps. She looked up at him and tried to form a smile on her face. "I don't want to fight you Felix."

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow curiously at her.

She nodded at him. "I was unfair to you earlier. I didn't get to hear you out fully. Admittedly, I was thrown off by your sudden appearance and was too worried about what could've happened that I didn't give you a fair chance and got to know you. I'm sorry, I'd like to talk with you some more. Maybe even show you around the city a bit?"

Felix was stunned by Marinette's words; he wasn't expecting such a… different response from her. He thought she would've been like most humans and try and beg for her life or become so battle hungry that she charges at him with all she had. He didn't expect an admittance of guilt and her wanting to start over again.

As soon as the whole situation sunk into his mind he couldn't help but burst out in laughter, which confused Marinette. He laughed for a few minutes straight before calming down. As he wiped away a tear from his eye a sinister smile spread across his face. He glared down at Marinette and chuckled. "You really are different from the rest of the humans, aren't you? But it matters not. My mind has already been made up. I said we will fight for your soul and fight for your soul is what we shall do."

Marinette began clutching the sides of her jacket, feeling a little bit frustrated that her first idea didn't seem to work. She hid this frustration however and tried to press her plan even more. "Well my mind has been made up too. Chat Noir said that demons can't step on holy ground so you only have two options Felix; talk with me and let me get to know you or we stay here in silence until sunrise when this "game" will end."

Felix chuckled some more which quickly evolved into full out laughter which creeped Marinette out. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "You seem to think you have the upper hand, don't you? It is true that us demons may not step on holy ground without it inflicting severe damage to our physical forms. However,"

An evil glint appeared in Felix's eye. Marinette quickly grabbed the cross and the knife, preparing herself for what was about to come.

Felix snapped his fingers together, which caused an explosion to occur in the building next to the church. Marinette quickly jolted her head to the source of the explosion and saw that the building was already being consumed in flames. A good chunk of it was missing at the bottom on one side. It began to creep down slowly, getting faster and faster the lower it got. Marinette did a quick examination of the situation and gasped when she realized what was about to happen. "You're not-"

"I already am." Felix replied with a proud smile.

The building could no longer support itself and began tumbling over. The top of the building collided with the Church and caused it to come crumbling down to the ground as well. The fire from the building spread into the Church and caused it to catch fire as well. Marinette quickly turned around and froze up in fear at the horror that was in front of her. The stained glass was smashed, the tapestries were quickly burning away, and she couldn't see much more else aside from all the rubble and the flames. The little Church that once housed her for April's Fool's Day was now completely destroyed.

"There are ways I can get to you Marinette, even if you step on holy ground. No matter where you go, no matter where you try and hide, I can get to you." Felix chuckled triumphantly before continuing. "Now, let's talk about your options. You can either stay there and let the carbon monoxide get into your body, which will cause you to pass out and provide me an opportunity to quickly collect your body and dispose of it. Or, you can escape while your body is still strong and we can begin our chase. What will it be Marinette?"

"You're a monster." Marinette replied, unable to take her eyes off of the burning church.

"No, I'm a demon." Felix said evilly. "Clock's ticking. Unless you want to pass out."

Marinette tightened her grip on her utensils, using them as ways to ground herself and not letting her rage and sorrow get the better of her. She had to keep a clear head if she wanted to survive.

Without another thought, Marinette began to run. She circled around the perimeter of the Church, still using the holy land to her advantage so that Felix couldn't land a sneak attack on her. As soon as she reached the edge of the property she took a deep breath and ran off.

Felix smirked as he watched Marinette run. "Wise choice. This is going to be fun."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry that this is short but I wanted to split up the angst a bit~ Don't wanna overload one chapter with too much angst after all XD /even though the next chapter will be quite heavy with it too XD


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's Note:** Just a small trigger warning: There are a few small mentions of self harm in there. They're not too bad but I felt like they deserved a warning just in case ^^;

* * *

 **Chapter 46**

Run. That's all Marinette could do for the time being. Just, run. She had to keep up her pace and get to her next destination in one piece.

Through her peripheral vision, she could see the buildings burst into flames as she passed them. She knew it was Felix's doing as a way to make her to stop. He was trying to play on her guilt, making each moment that she ran from him worse than the last. She knew the destruction would stop as soon as she did, but had to fight through it.

She could hear the shrill, ghastly screams of innocent people behind her. They seemed almost too real to be faked. Every part of her was telling her to turn back, to go help the people in need or sacrifice herself so that their lives would be spared. She had to constantly keep telling herself that she had a plan, that it would work, that everything would be alright for her and everyone else as long as she kept running.

Felix stood in the middle of all of the destruction, watching Marinette as she ran. He could easily catch up to her and claim his soul for himself. But no, he was making this hunt a game for now. He wanted to see what Marinette would do, how she would fight back against him.

He took a deep breath in and absorbed the screams of terror that filled the area. It was like music to his ears. If Marinette proved to be a waste of time for him, at least he would have this moment to satisfy him.

Tears began to fall behind Marinette as she continued on her run. It was hard for her to keep on continuing. At this point, she couldn't hear herself think over all of the screaming, crying, and sirens. She had to keep mumbling "sorry" to herself as a way to keep her going. It was hell for Marinette but it was also hell for others as well. All she could do was just continue running and hope that her plan will work.

The Catacombs of Paris; the cemetery that lies underneath Paris that is home to the remains of more than six million people. For tonight, it was the location of Marinette and Felix's final confrontation.

Having arrived at her destination, Marinette fell down to the ground, unable to support herself anymore. She was gasping desperately for air, her lungs craving the oxygen after all the running she did. The route to the catacombs had been more taxing on her than she had expected, but that was because of the mental and emotional toll that Felix had put on her on the way. She didn't expect having the city up in flames when she made her plan. Now that she had a moment to think, she realized that Felix did say that the entire city was their arena and apparently he was making the best use of it as he could. She just wished that innocents didn't have to be caught in the crossfire. Too late now though.

She gritted her teeth and summoned up whatever energy she had to pick herself up and carry on. She had come so far already and she just had a little distance left. Every second counted as the hunt was still on. She lost Felix for the time being but she knew he wasn't that far behind.

She stopped suddenly and took a moment to look at the wall that was in front of her, the one was made entirely out of bones. There were many skulls amongst the arrangement, and to Marinette it felt like they were all judging her. Seeing the dead right in front of her eyes, thinking about the dying that were above her, it made her feel sick to her stomach. She could feel the contents in her stomach churning the longer she looked at the remains. She took a deep breath and said to them "I'm sorry. I hope no one will be added to you from tonight."

She looked down at the floor, where a large pentagram was drawn in chalk. She was thankful that she prepared the symbol ahead of time. Despite it being easy to draw, just a star inside of a circle, she needed every moment she got.

She stuffed the cross and the knife that she was holding into her pocket and walked to the side of the pentagram and picked up the book that was given to her, that had also given her the instructions on how to make the pentagram. She read the page that it was on and began listing off the items from the page.

"Red thread." Marinette repeated and looked at one of the corners of the pentagram, where a few strands of thread in a blood red colour laid. She confirmed to herself that it was there and continued on. "Shattered hand mirror, corpse of an animal."

She checked two other corners of the pentagram and confirmed the existence of the items. She was lucky that she was able to find a dead rat inside the catacombs. It would've hurt her greatly if she had to take an innocent animal's life herself.

"A broken cross."

Marinette put the book down and took the cross out from her pocket. She lifted her knee and smashed the cross against it, splitting it into two. She tossed both pieces into an empty corner of the pentagram and looked down at the book again to confirm the final item she needed for her plan. "Finally… the blood of a virgin."

She took the knife out from her pocket and held her thumb up above the last remaining edge. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was about to happen next.

"Hello Marinette."

Just before she could slice her thumb, she heard a familiar voice behind her which caused her to freeze up. She slowly turned around and saw Felix standing right behind her, smiling at her. He peered over her shoulder and looked at the ground to see Marinette's creation. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of it. "A pentagram I see. Was this your plan all along? Lure me here and summon a demon to fight for you?"

Marinette shook her head. "No. My plan was to befriend you and try and convince you to have a change of heart. This was only used as a backup should that plan fail… Which it did. I really didn't want to do this Felix but you left me no other choice."

Felix examined Marinette's expression carefully. As he did, Marinette hid her hands behind her back while still keeping the knife firmly held.

He saw the seriousness and determined look Marinette had on her face and shrugged. "I believe you. It's a shame though, really. Your plans were foolish and doomed to fail from the start. It would've been wiser for you to forfeit your life from the very start and not waste my time."

"Is that so?" Marinette asked as she slowly and carefully began carving her thumb with the knife.

"It was indeed. I'm sure we both knew that I wouldn't have had a change of heart. But this was your backup?" Felix held his head and shook it. "Do you not remember what I told you earlier? Demon magic is ineffective against demons that are stronger than the caster. Both I and your precious Chat Noir are the devil's own spawn. There is no other demon in existence that is stronger than us."

"You don't say?"

"Oh yes. In fact, any demon you could've summoned would've been foolish. They all cower before me down there. I am their prince and they treat me as such. You would've had two demons you'd have to fight instead of just one."

Marinette winced, realizing that she sliced a little too deeply into her thumb. However, it was good news for her that she went that deep since it only meant one thing.

"You know Felix, you're wrong about something. There is one demon that's stronger than you."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

Marinette held out her thumb and let the blood drip down to the ground, which was where the final edge was located at. As soon as the blood settled on the surface, the entire pentagram began to glow a blood red colour. A bright red light began shooting out from the chalk lines and shot up at the sky. A black shadow began to hover in the center of the pentagram. It started off as a black butterfly but it began to morph into a more humanoid shape. A dark purple suit formed on the body while a black leather mask appeared on their head. Their eyes began to glow red as horns curled up from the top of their head. Finally, a cane appeared in front of them, which they promptly grabbed. The energy began to fade away now that the summoning was complete and Felix a clear sight as to who it was that Marinette summoned, which made him freeze up in fear.

"Your father."


	47. Chapter 47

**Author's Note:** Just another head's up, the ending of this chapter is a bit intense and dark. May not be for the faint of heart ^^; It might be fine but I just wanted to make sure just in case.

I also wanna give a pre-head's up too: The next chapter is a lot lot worse than this one is ^^; May be a bit over the top but I'll explain why in the warning for the next chapter. But I felt it deserved a pre-head's up here too :P

* * *

 **Chapter 47**

Felix was taken back by the sight of his father standing behind his prey. He didn't expect Marinette to be capable of such a feat. Being the devil himself, Hawkmoth could only be forcibly summoned to the human realm under special circumstances.

Felix examined the image of his father carefully. Quickly enough, he began to calm down. He flipped his hair and began chuckling; proud of himself figuring out what he thought was Marinette's plan. "I see what you did here. That's not my father; it's but a mere illusion. I must admit, you had me convinced for a second there. I applaud your foolish attempt but sadly, I see right through your-"

"Felix?" Hawkmoth spoke, causing Felix to yelp with surprise. Hawkmoth descended to the ground and stepped out of the pentagram as he glared at the cat-like demon, his eyes full of confusion and disgust. "What is the meaning of this? Would you care to explain why I was forcibly taken out of my own realm where I was in the middle of conducting business?"

Felix began gritting his teeth; he didn't know what to say now that he had been found out. He took a deep breath and tried acting nonchalantly over the situation. "That is none of your concern father. I was conducting my own business."

"Is that so?" Hawkmoth turned his attention to the teenager that stood beside him. "Would you be kind enough to explain the situation to me, before I get really angry?"

Marinette tensed up. Having the devil himself stand beside her, staring at her with an icy cold piercing gaze was a terrifying experience for her. However, she summoned up as much courage as she could muster and responded to him. "I'm sorry for summoning you here tonight, but Felix here forced me into a game of chase for my soul! He destroyed nearly half the city to do so as well! I'm no expert on demons but I know that is against the way demons operate, isn't it?"

"Indeed." Hawkmoth said as he nodded at her. He turned his attention back to Felix and glared at him even more. "Is this the truth Felix?"

Felix chose to remain silent, not wanting to admit his own fault. This made Hawkmoth sigh in disappointment. He swiped his hand in front of him which caused shadows to form in front of his leather-clad face. The shadows began to show images of the city of Paris, in its current condition. Once again, after seeing the destruction that his son had caused, he sighed with disappointment and shook his head in disgust. "When you said that you wished for the night off, I did not imagine that this is what you had in mind."

"I can explain!" Felix protested. "I was getting tired of waiting for my idiotic brother to take her soul! I wanted to take matters into my own hands! You enable him way too much and look at where that got us!"

"And what of the opportunity I told you about?" Hawkmoth questioned, causing Felix to freeze up. "Did you forget about that too?"

The cat-like demon began clenching his fists, knowing that nothing he could say would get him out of this bind. Hawkmoth picked up his distress and pushed the subject further. "Did you not trust my word? Did you seriously think you could do a better job than I?"

Felix's body began to tremble, which Marinette noticed. She felt guilty for putting Felix into this situation. He may be a demon hunting for her soul but she still felt sympathy for him.

"FORGET YOUR PLAN!" Felix yelled out. His claws started to glow with a dark energy. Realizing the power he was now wielding, he began stepping closer towards Marinette and Hawkmoth, determined to claim her soul one way or another. "I am perfect. You made me how you wanted your son to be. This of your will father. I will surpass my brother and do his job for him and no one will get in my way. Not even you!"

Felix leaped forward, raising his claw up so that he could slash down at Marinette. She quickly shielded herself, bracing for the impact. However, she began to hear the sounds of struggling which made her ease up. She looked and saw Felix floating in front of Hawkmoth, being held up against his will by a swarm of butterflies. Felix struggled to break free of their grasp but was unsuccessful.

"You are correct in your words but this is not how we do things Felix!" Hawkmoth said as he stamped his cane on the ground. "There are rules for a reason! We may be demons but we have honour to uphold! And tonight you have tarnished the name of our species!"

"Let. Me. Go. NOW!" Felix demanded. "There is nothing that can be done now! The destruction has been done! I insist you release me so that we may claim her soul and so that this night will not be a waste!"

"No!" Hawkmoth said as he narrowed his eyes at Felix. "You are a waste Felix. Perhaps I made you a little too much like my own son. I guess I could always start over."

Felix's eyes narrowed when he saw his father's hand raise up, looking like his fingers were about to snap. He summoned forth all of his power, all of his might so that he could break free and fight against what was about to happen next.

Marinette watched in silence as Felix struggled. She could see tears streaming down from his cheeks as he desperately tried to save himself. She turned over and saw Hawkmoth chuckling as he watched, taking pleasure in the show. She knew she had to do something right then and there. Despite everything that Felix had done, she wanted to help him.

She dashed and grabbed Hawkmoth's arm, breaking his concentration.

"Please don't do this!" she begged. "Let him make amends!"

He shook her off, causing her to tumble to the ground. He grumbled at the sight and turned back to Felix. "There is no making amends. There is only retribution."

As Marinette rose up from the ground, she reached out to try and grab Hawkmoth and distract him again but this time, she was too late. Hawkmoth snapped his fingers which caused the butterflies to pull Felix apart, causing him to turn into a puff of shadows that faded away into the darkness of the catacombs.


	48. Chapter 48

**Author's Note:** I gave a head's up last week but here's another's head's up too:  
There's some parts of this chapter that are kinda gruesome ^^; It's not gorey but it's definitely got distressing imagery  
The sole reason for these parts is to show just how large of a threat Hawkmoth is and how dire the situation was for Marinette :P  
Sorry if this disturbs some of you ^^; But wanted to give a head's up :P

* * *

 **Chapter 48**

Marinette dropped to her knees, unable to believe the sight that she beheld. Felix was gone, nothing more than mere shadows now. She didn't want that to happen, she didn't want any of what had been going on during the night to happen. She thought that if she summoned Felix's father then he would just bring Felix back to the demonic realm with him and repair all of the destruction. But that didn't happen.

"That is one problem taken care of." Hawkmoth stated. He turned his attention over to Marinette and raised his hand, causing butterflies to fly over and carry her in the air. She squinted as she was in pain from being held. To her, it felt like the butterflies had tiny knives for legs that pierced deep into her flesh.

"Do not think I do not know who you are." Hawkmoth stated as he walked closer to Marinette. "You are the girl who has corrupted my son and has eluded our grasp for far too long. I can take your miserable life right here and now as penance for summoning me. Tell me though, why should I set you free and allow you to live when you are at my mercy?"

Marinette squinted even more thanks to the butterflies legs digging deeper into her flesh. It was hard for her to think with so much pain happening in her body. To her, it felt like Hawkmoth was just playing with her. For what reason? She didn't know. But she had to think of something fast.

"No answer? Then in that case I will-"

"CHAT NOIR!" she cried out, cutting Hawkmoth off.

"Oh" Hawkmoth asked. The butterflies began to ease up on their hold on her, possibly because the devil was interested to hear what she had to say and wanted to ease her mind so that she can articulate her thought fully. "And what of my son?"

Marinette took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts together. "We both know your son. If you kill me and take my soul here and now, he will stop at nothing to get his revenge against you!"

"And what makes you think that would be of any of my concern? I could easily do to him what I did to Felix. He poses no threat to me at all."

Marinette began biting her lower lip. The butterflies began to dig into her flesh even more. She had a backup plan, one that was full proof but she didn't want to use it yet. She had to try her best and talk her way out of the situation. "You won't though."

"What makes you think I won't?"

"B-because you're a father! Devil or not, you're still Chat Noir's father! You wouldn't have the heart to kill your son!"

"Don't I?" Shadows began to form and circulate above Hawkmoth's palm as he chuckled. "I just pulled Felix apart without having a second thought. I'd say that was pretty heartless."

"That's different though!" Marinette felt guilty, having said that. She truly believed that any father should cherish their sons no matter who they are, but she needed to go against her beliefs in order to save her life. "I don't know all of the circumstances but you two talked as if you specially made Felix! Chat Noir had a different birth, he told me! He was naturally born! There's got to be some different bond you two share because of how he was made!"

"Try again." Hawkmoth said. He began clutching his hand together, which caused the butterflies to dig deeper into Marinette's body. "And be careful of your next words. They could be your last."

Marinette's breathing was short, being in more pain than she had ever been in her life. She tried to fight through the pain and hope her next attempt would work.

"DEAL!" she yelled as she cried out in pain. "YOU HAVE TO MAKE A DEAL!"

Hawkmoth's fist began to relax, which caused the butterflies to relax as well and make the pain more bearable for Marinette. She took a few deep breaths and blurted out her meaning. "If you want my soul directly then I have to make a deal with you, right? Or else there's a risk of you losing it and then all of this time would've gone to waste? P-plus you want to be on good terms with me so I'd be open to making a deal!"

Hawkmoth groaned. That was the answer he was looking for but he was hoping that she wouldn't realize it. He swiped his hand which caused all of the butterflies to let go of Marinette and disappear into the darkness. She slumped down to the ground and began coughing. She saw shadows beginning to loom over her, making her look up and seeing the devil standing in front of her and looking down. "You are mostly correct. There are certain conditions where I can claim your soul without the need of a deal but those conditions cannot be met as of right now. There would be a high chance of your soul slipping from our grasp for good and I am determined to claim it one way or another. For now, I will permit you to keep your soul. Consider it amends for all the trouble that Felix has caused you."

"Th-thank you." Marinette managed to stammer out.

"I will take my leave." Hawkmoth began walking towards the pentagram. "Next time we meet, we will not be on such friendly circumstances."

Just before Hawkmoth stepped back into the symbol, Marinette called out to him which made him stop out of curiosity. She rose up and limped closer to him. "Wait, we're not done yet. What about the city? What about all of the innocent lives that have been taken? Aren't you going to make amends to that too? Felix's spell might still be affecting Chat Noir as well."

"None of that is my concern." Hawkmoth stated. "What's done is done. I have no obligations to help this realm. You mortals will have to live with the losses you have suffered tonight. Goodbye."

"Wait!" Marinette cried out again. She took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the words that she was about to speak next. "I would like to make a deal."

"Is that so?" Hawkmoth turned around rested his body on his cane, smiling with delight. "I would be very interested to make a deal with you."

"Not for my soul. I have something that you'll want even more than that." Marinette stumbled over and picked up the book from the ground. She held it up to give Hawkmoth a clear view of its cover. He narrowed his eyes at it, a small fire burning inside of him as soon as he realized what the book was. He swiped his hand again, causing the butterflies to return and hold Marinette up in the air once more.

She began crying out in pain once again as the butterflies dug into her body. Hawkmoth ignored her cries and walked over to her. "Where did you get that book from? TELL ME!"

"I- I won't say!" Marinette said in between her screams. "Y-you can have it if you agree to f-fix Paris."

"And what's stopping me from taking it myself?"

Master Fu's words began to echo in Marinette's mind, reminding her of the reason. " _I want you to remember something too; only you can decide what to do with the book now. It cannot be taken from you._ "

"Because it cannot be taken from me!" Marinette answered, fighting against the pain once again. "If you want it then you have to make a deal with me!"

Hawkmoth gritted his teeth, becoming incredibly frustrated with Marinette. He swiped his hand and made the butterflies disappear, causing her to drop to the ground once again. As Marinette tried to collect herself, Hawkmoth turned around and faced the pentagram. He wanted to just leave and never look back, but this was an opportunity that he was waiting for and he couldn't let it slip through his fingers. "And what makes you think I want that book in the first place?"

"I was told it came from a college. This is the same book that Chat Noir's mother used to summon you on that night wasn't it?"

Hawkmoth remained silent, not wanting to answer Marinette. His silence was enough of an answer for her and continued with her explanation. "I don't know if you want to keep it as a memento of her or if you want to burn it because it reminds you too much of her. But what I do know is that I'm in possession of it right now but I'm willing to give it to you but only under three conditions."

Hawkmoth paused and considered his next course of action. "What are those conditions?"

"One, you restore Paris back to the way it was before Felix arrived. Any lives that were lost will be returned and anything that was burned will be restored. Two, you break the spell that had been cast on Chat Noir and return him to his original form. And finally, three, you burn any documentation of this night and wipe the memories of this incident from everyone except me and Chat Noir."

Hawkmoth remained still as he carefully considered Marinette's proposal. She leaned over and inspected him, thinking that he didn't hear her. Just as she was about to repeat herself, he snapped his fingers which caused the book to disappear from her hands and instead be replaced with a small red compact with black spots on it.

"This is not an official deal… but I have accepted your terms. The object that you hold will do as you requested. Go above ground and toss it up in the air to activate it."

"There's no tricks to it, right?" Marinette inquired as she carefully inspected the object. "Like, it won't steal my soul as soon as I activate it?"

Hawkmoth shook his head. "No. For an item as important as this book, there will be no tricks in the deal. You have my word."

"Thank you then!" Marinette bowed at Hawkmoth. "I appreciate the help!"

Marinette let out a sigh of relief as Hawkmoth walked towards the pentagram. At least part of her plan had worked. She still felt bad that Felix perished and that she wasn't able to help him, but at least now she had the power to be able to restore everything back to normal.

"One last thing," Hawkmoth stated as he stood in the center of the symbol, capturing Marinette's attention. "Stay away from Adrien Agreste. This is your only warning."

And just like that, Hawkmoth disappeared and returned to his realm, leaving a very shocked and confused Marinette all to herself.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

Marinette stood in the middle of all of the chaos. The fires were still roaring, seemingly endless. The screams had stopped as well. Everything was silent… too silent for her liking. She held the compact firmly in her hands, hoping with all of her heart that the item would fix everything.

She took a deep breath and tossed it up in the air as instructed. As soon as the item reached the peak of its height it began to glow a light pink colour and generate energy. Soon, the energy began to break apart and fly across the city. Marinette noticed that tiny little ladybugs were accompanying this energy, guiding the energy to where it needed to go.

Marinette watched in amazement as the city was miraculously being repaired thanks to the ladybugs and this energy. The fires completely disappeared without a trace, buildings were returned to their former state without as much as crack that hadn't been there before, and people's injuries were being healed. Some people that looked to be gone completely began waking up and surprising the families and paramedics. Truly, it was a miraculous sight to behold!

As soon as the whole city was repaired, the energy and ladybugs grouped back together and released a shockwave of energy that spread throughout the city. Marinette began to hear the confused mumbles from the people that were around her. She assumed that this was the part where it made everyone forget everything.

Eventually, the energy began to fade away into nothingness. The deed had been done, Marinette had saved the city!

"It's over!" Marinette cheered. "It's finally-"

All of a sudden, a wave of exhaustion hit Marinette, almost as if it were like a truck. Her vision faded as she collapsed to the ground, unable to carry on any further.

Marinette staggered awake, groaning in pain as her senses returned to her. She tried to move but felt some weight on top of her body. She looked down and saw that it was the sheets that she had on her bed. She tossed them off of her and looked around, realizing that somehow she had made it to her room.

She swung her legs over and went to stand up but as soon as she put pressure on her body, she yelped in pain. She looked down at her legs and rolled up the pants sleeves. She saw that there were bandages all over her body. It didn't take her long to realize that it was the areas where Hawkmoth's butterflies dug into when she was held captive. She half hoped that her body would heal when the city was restored but apparently this wasn't the case for her.

"Marinette?" her mother called out from downstairs.

"It's me Mom!"

Her Mom quickly raced upstairs and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness you're alright. You've been asleep for three days."

"THREE DAYS?!"

Sabine nodded. "We were really concerned for you. Your friend Adrien found you on the street and brought you home. We were shocked to see the state you were in! We called a doctor to come and check you out. She said there was nothing life threatening and that you were just exhausted but the marks on your body really confused her. Do you remember what happened?"

Of course Marinette remembered, how could she forget? But what was she to tell her Mom? She summoned the literal devil himself and to protect her from a demon that chased her around the city in a quest for her soul. She knew that if she lied then it would only make her Mom worry more, and her Dad too when she would relay the news to him. However, she had no other choice since the truth would sound pretty farfetched.

"I… don't. Sorry. My mind's a blur."

"That's alright, your mind's probably still traumatized from the incident. Feel free to tell us when you remember. But for now, get some rest."

Sabine kissed her daughter's forehead and went back downstairs. She returned momentarily to provide soup and a glass of milk for Marinette, seeing as she hadn't eaten in days.

As Marinette was finishing her meal, she couldn't help but sense that something was off. It felt rather… lonely in her room. She knew that someone was missing, someone who she was hoping to see when she woke up.

She rose up and went to check out her balcony. There, as she had hoped, she found Chat Noir leaning over the balcony and staring out over the city. He was also petting Plagg, who was standing on the railing right beside him.

"Chat?" Marinette asked, concerned about her friend's emotional state. There was an air about him that made her feel uneasy.

Chat Noir turned around and immediately hugged Marinette as tightly as he could. Marinette could hear him weeping as he nuzzled his cheeks against hers. "OH PRINCESS I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALRIGHT, I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK!"

"Chaaaaaaaaaaat," Marinette groaned, wincing from the pain she was in. "You're… hurting me!"

"Oh sorry!" Chat immediately let go of Marinette and chuckled awkwardly. "I forgot about your injuries for a second there."

"It's alright. Under the circumstances, I don't blame you."

Marinette took a few steps forward and leaned over the balcony alongside Chat, looking out into the city and admiring its beauty.

"You're a hero you know," Chat said, breaking the silence. "But this time no one will know what you did."

"I didn't do it for the fame. It was the right thing to do."

"Yes, but you risked your life and no one will know what kind of peril you put yourself into."

Marinette noticed that Chat was beginning to tense up. He was gripping the railing tightly; if he put any more pressure onto it then she would swear it would break in his grasp. She knew where this was leading to, so she had to put a stop to it.

"It's alright Chat." she said as she placed her hands on top of his, trying to comfort him. "I'm alright now."

"No, it's not alright Marinette. I wasn't there to protect you, I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't good enough! I was sloppy, Felix got the drop on me and I couldn't overpower his demon magic. How am I supposed to protect you from my Father when I couldn't even protect you from my brother?"

Tears were dripping from his eyes and onto his hand and hers. This was the sort of thinking Marinette wanted to avoid. She knew that this incident would weigh heavy on Chat, and she was hoping he'd be able to fight through these thoughts. Since he couldn't, the best Marinette could do was be there for him and help him let it out. That's what friends do after all.

"It's alright Chat, it's not your fault. There's no way you could've known that this would happen."

"I still could've been better at protecting you." Chat lowered his head and rested it on the balcony. "I know what happened down in the Catacombs. You had to resort to calling my father to take care of Felix. You put yourself in the most dangerous situation possible. You were lucky he was lenient with you. If anything happened to you because you had to fight on your own, I- I-"

"I handled the situation Chat." Marinette examined her arms and legs and frowned. "Although I didn't come out of there scot free, I at least still have my life. That's what matters most, isn't it?"

"Yes but what if it happens again!" Chat said as he rose up from his position. He placed Marinette's arms onto her shoulders and looked her deep into her eyes. "Marinette, I want you to promise me you won't do anything like that ever again!"

"Chat-"

"Please… promise me."

Marinette placed her hand on top of Chat's and smiled. "I promise Chat."

"Thank you Princess."

Chat retracted his arms and returned back to the position on the balcony. He had finally calmed down enough that the tears had stopped. He still felt guilty about not being there for her when she needed it. Luckily, Plagg was able to pick up on his emotions and began nuzzling his hand, wanting to be petted. He smirked at the kitten and began softly stroking his fur.

"You know Chat," Marinette spoke as she joined Chat with the pets. "I'm not perfect either. When I raced out of my home, I grabbed Plagg instead of you. It was a huge mistake. If I had grabbed the right kitten then things could've gone different and I didn't need to rely on your father. But we make do with the situations we're in. You couldn't do much but I know that you were fighting his magic as much as you could so you could help me, and that's what I appreciate most."

"Princess…"

Chat turned to Marinette and slowly started leaning in closer to her. At first Marinette was confused as to what Chat was doing but she quickly caught on when she saw his eyes close and lips pucker. Without wasting a moment, she pressed her finger up to his lips and pushed him back. "Chat, no. Remember Adrien?"

"Oh yes! S-sorry about that I-"

"It's fine Chat!" Marinette said as she waved away the awkwardness before Chat began to feel bad about himself again. "I m-mean, the situation did feel like that b-but-"

"Yeah, but I should've remembered. S-sorry."

The silence returned once again, but it was accompanied by a sense of awkwardness too. The two of them had no idea what to say or do now. Even going to pet Plagg was a bit awkward for the both of them. Luckily though, a thought sprang into Marinette's mind that would take their minds off of the awkwardness. "Your father said something very… interesting Chat that I'm curious about."

"Oh? What was that?"

"He mentioned about honour a few times. Is honour really that important to demons?"

Chat hummed as he thought about Marinette's words. "Not really. It's more so a matter of pride. You see, we actually have a bit of a treaty with the angels and God. It's agreed upon that us demons cannot interfere with the human realm as we please and cause chaos. In exchange, we are able to meet with humans at the Crossroads of Life before the angels do. Of course, there are loopholes in that treaty that both of us can exploit. Us demons can continue to harass a human or a specific group of humans if we were summoned and never properly returned to our realm, as long as it's subtle. As well, occasionally we can come up on our own to "encourage" deals to be made but once again, it has to be subtle.

With the angels however, they are able to interfere with a human's demise and save their life. As well, the amount of time an angel has before appearing at the Crossroads to guide them to Heaven was never stated. As far as the treaty's concerned, it could just be a second that the demon has with the human before the angel appears.

It wasn't until many years later that these loopholes were discovered. So there's a bit of an unspoken agreement between the angels and demons that these exploits aren't to be used, at least too often. What Felix did went against the treaty completely, which is what my Father was mad about. He takes pride in keeping peace with the angels and controlling his followers so that they don't do the same. He still does some underhanded actions but nothing that could cause the angels to retaliate. Or at least, nothing that would cause a not-so-subtle retaliation from them.

I guess to make a long story short, it's a matter of mutual respect thanks to the treaty. It's not incorrect to say that it's honour but it's more pride more than anything, really."

"I see." Marinette replied, trying to soak in all of the information Chat relayed to her. "There's a lot about the demon world that I apparently still don't know about."

"I'll teach you some time my lady! There's thousands of years of history to learn! I'd be proud to be your most humble teacher!"

"Humble you say?" Marinette joked, but sadly Chat didn't catch on.

"Chat," Marinette began changing the topic once again. She didn't want to break the mood now that Chat was back to his normal self but there was something weighing heavy on her heart. "I'm sorry about what happened to Felix. I tried to save him, I really did."

Chat's ears drooped now that things turned seriously again. "I know you did princess. I'm sure he appreciated it."

"How do you feel Chat?"

"Honestly? I guess I'm fine. I never really considered that guy my brother and he did try and kill you. I guess I'm just a bit… worried is all, that my father will do the same to me."

"I don't think he'll do that." Marinette replied as she shook her head. "I talked to your father about you a bit. He said some things that would've hurt for you to hear, but I don't think he means them. Deep down, he still is a father and I really doubt he'd do anything to you like he did Felix."

"He's the Devil, Marinette."

Marinette wanted to refute Chat's statement, but he was right; his father was indeed the Devil. She saw first-hand what he was capable of, without hesitating even for a second, so perhaps his words to Marinette about Chat were true after all. She just wanted to believe that no matter what, his father did care for him.

"Marinette," Chat spoke sheepishly, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry if this is the wrong time to ask but… can I have a hug?"

Marinette nodded and smiled at him. "Of course Chat. Just not a tight one like earlier."

"Of course."

Chat approached Marinette and wrapped his arms around her while she did the same. The past few days had been a tolling time for the both of them emotionally. Being able to hold each other in their arms provided a sense of warmth and comfort that they both so desperately needed.

Marinette couldn't explain it either, but there was something about Chat's hug that was familiar to her. She's had many hugs from him before but for some reason this one felt really tender and loving, something that she felt before. It made her heart race and a soft smile to appear on her face too.

"Marinette?"

"Yes Chat?"

"Could we stay like this for a while?"

Marinette's smile grew wider. She buried her head in his chest and prepared herself to be there for a while. "Of course Chat. For as long as you like."


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50**

It didn't take long for Marinette to recover from her injuries. After their hug, Chat offered to cure Marinette's injuries for her. She would've said yes, except a thought came across her mind. It would've looked too suspicious to her parents and possibly the doctor if she returned to check in on Marinette if her injuries were just miraculously healed. It was one thing when he healed her legs all that time ago but the wounds were fresh so having them cured right here and now was not the best idea. Instead, she requested Chat numb the pain in her body which was an easy task for his abilities.

Even though she felt great, she still had to abide by her parents's wishes to recover until a time where they would believe that she would be fine. This meant that she would be bed ridden but she didn't mind. Chat Noir kept her company and she still had her phone to keep her entertained.

A few of her friends heard the news and texted Marinette. She thanked them for their concerns and sympathy but told them not to worry about her. Alya was the only one that wouldn't accept Marinette's words and thought she was just being modest.

She received a few texts from Adrien asking her how she was, and he was the only one that she didn't respond to. She didn't know what to say to him. As soon as she got the first text from him she remembered the words that were spoken to her by the Devil himself. " _Stay away from Adrien Agreste. This is your only warning._ "

What did he mean by that? What did Adrien have to do about the demon world? What secrets was he hiding? She didn't mind her love having secrets but this was serious. When it came to the demonic world, she wanted to know for one reason or another.

Her mind kept filling up with thoughts and ideas of Adrien and none of them were pleasant. After a while, she became fed up with her own anxiety and finally texted him back. All she said to him was, " _Hey, can we meet up sometime soon? We need to talk, it's important._ "

She knew how poor the wording was and that it may give her boyfriend anxiety too, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. In fact, she couldn't say anything else. She wanted to say to him that things were fine and that they weren't in trouble, but that could very well be a lie. If Adrien made some kind of pact with the devil to sacrifice her then she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. She loved him with all of her heart but she wanted to give her soul to him and him alone.

Or what if it was something worse? What if he agreed to give up his firstborn to him? There was no way she'd part with Hugo, Emma, or Louis, no matter what. She didn't know, and her mind was filled with ideas such as these. All she knew was that she had to confront Adrien about it and hope that by the end of the conversation the two would still be together…

* * *

A few days later, when Marinette got clearance to go out and stretch her legs, her and Adrien agreed to meet up in the park late in the afternoon when school was over.

Marinette waited anxiously on the bench for her boyfriend to arrive. She fumbled with her purse's straps, needing something to fidget with to keep her mind occupied instead of creating more near impossible scenarios about him.

"Hey sweetie," a familiar voice spoke behind her. She felt the warm and tender touch of lips being pressed on the top of her head. She spun around and smiled at the blond boy standing behind her. "How're ya feeling?"

"Much better!" Marinette took Adrien's hands and leaned forward, giving him a quick peck on his lips. "All thanks to you. My Mom told me that you were the one that found me and brought me home."

"Well, I couldn't leave my lovely girlfriend lying out on the street now could I?" Adrien walked around the bench and sat beside Marinette. "If I had known how bad you were I would've taken you to a hospital instead."

"Well, thank you for being such a gentleman about it anyways!" She leaned towards him again and placed a loving smooch on his cheek.

The air suddenly shifted and things began to feel awkward for both Marinette and Adrien. They both knew what was coming next now that the pleasantries were out of the way. Marinette gripped her bag again and took a deep breath. "Adrien… I need you to be honest with something about me…"

Adrien began biting his lower lip from nervousness. "What would that be?"

"The umm… the one that attacked me… he told me to stay away from you. He didn't say why but he said that it was my only warning."

Adrien began to tense up from hearing Marinette's news. He knew exactly who she was talking about and he internally cursed them too.

"Adrien… why did he say that to me?"

Adrien looked down at the ground, contemplating what to say. Admittedly, he didn't expect a conversation like this to occur and he didn't know how to handle it. He wasn't prepared. Now wasn't the right time to tell Marinette who he really is, not like this.

"Please Adrien," Marinette said as she placed a hand on his leg. "I need to know."

"I… I can't say Marinette." he responded, cursing himself this time for his response. He just blurted out the first thing that came to mind and it was the wrong thing to say.

"Why can't you?"

Adrien was already down this rabbit hole and there was no way of pulling himself out now. All he could do was just go down deeper and hoped it worked out for him. "I… can't say that either."

"I see…" Marinette folded her hands together, unsure what to say. Now that she asked him it settled her fears of something occurring right away but she was still concerned and afraid that the scenarios she thought of could still be true. "Adrien, I'm concerned right now. This… person is dangerous and he has some of connection to you. If there's something I need to know then I'd like to know. Whatever it is, for whatever reason, you can trust me. I'm your girlfriend after all but it hurts that you won't open up to me about this. Especially when-"

"Trust me Marinette, there's nothing I'd love more than to tell you." Adrien interrupted, seeing as Marinette's words were filling him a sense of guilt. If he let her finish then he knew he'd blurt out the truth when he didn't want to. "However, there's a reason that it has to stay a secret and you just… have to trust me on it…"

"I don't know…" Marinette's grip tightened on her purse. She didn't know how to feel now. Her heart and her mind were conflicting. She still loved Adrien and wanted to put faith into him but her mind was telling her otherwise.

"Let me ask you this Marinette. Could you please tell me exactly how you were injured?"

Now it was Marinette's turn to stiffen up. She didn't know what to say to him now. What was she to say? She was attacked by the Devil himself in the Catacombs after summoning him? He would never believe her. Even if he did believe her, what would happen then? She didn't know and it was making her even more anxious.

"It's alright, you don't have to answer." Adrien said. "But that feeling you got just now, that's how I feel too. It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that now isn't the right time. I'm not saying you won't ever know, just… not right now. Just like how I know that you'll tell what happened to you when you feel comfortable sharing. We just need to give each other time before revealing our secrets."

Adrien turned and grabbed Marinette's hands and looked deep into her eyes. "But believe me Marinette, I promise you that whatever my secret is, you will be safe. No more harm will come to you and I will protect you with my life. I promise you."

Adrien leaned down and pressed his lips against the back of Marinette's hands, causing her to blush. He rose back up and leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her body. "Marinette, I love you. You are the most precious person to me and no matter what, I will keep you safe. If there was any doubt about that then I would've left you long ago for your own safety."

Marinette's face was completely beet red now but luckily Adrien couldn't see it. She returned the embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. She had to admit, she was still concerned about his relationship with Hawkmoth but there was something calming and reassuring about his words. She chose to put her faith into him and let her love for him wash away her anxiety.

She hummed and said back to him, "I love you with all of my heart Adrien. I'm sorry for doubting you."


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER!" Chat Noir barked as he appeared in the fiery realm full of brimstone.

"Hello there son." Hawkmoth said casually as he stared at an item on a pedestal that was in front of him. He turned around and faced his son. "Is that any way to greet your father when they invited you back home?"

"I would've tossed your invitation in the trash if I didn't want information!" Chat responded as he glared at him. "Besides, I thought you said I wasn't allowed back until I got her soul."

"I made a special exception this one time. Come here."

Chat folded his arms and remained still, refusing to move until he got his answers. Hawkmoth sighed, catching onto his son's stubbornness. "Fine. All I did was give her a fair warning to stay away from you. That's it. If you wish, I can replay the scene for you."

Chat sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm fine. But why did you do that?! You had no right to interfere!"

Hawkmoth couldn't help but chuckle. "Normally I would punish you for speaking to me like that, but you caught me in a good mood. Perhaps I didn't have a right to interfere but perhaps I did. Who's to say?"

"I wish you didn't because now Marinette doesn't trust Adrien."

"And she has every reason to. After all, he is a charade."

Chat Noir began growling again. He snapped his fingers and changed his form so that Adrien was now the one present, not Chat Noir. Hawkmoth narrowed his eyes at Adrien and grumbled. "What did I tell you about using that disgusting form around me?"

"And I said that Adrien is not a charade. I used my Chat form out of respect for you but if you won't respect me then I won't respect you."

"Tread carefully. You are souring my mood." Hawkmoth stamped his cane on the ground which caused the whole area to shake but Adrien remained still and unfazed by his threat.

Adrien just rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "So, what is it that's got you so delightful?"

"Take a look." Hawkmoth waited until Adrien was standing beside him. He shifted their attention to a large book that was sitting on a pedestal underneath a glass case. It was the very same book that Hawkmoth received from Marinette just days prior.

Adrien looked up at his Dad, feeling confused. "What is it?"

"That's the book your mother used to summon me that faithful night."

"What? Really?" Adrien glanced back at the book and stared at it. He could feel a whole array of emotions well up inside of him, with sadness being the most prominent. He approached the pedestal and placed his hand on the glass. "Mom…"

"I thought… it was only fair to you that you got to see it." Hawkmoth said as he averted his gaze, not being able to handle the sight in front of him.

"I don't understand though… I thought you hated Mom and wanted me to forget about her and my life in the human realm."

Hawkmoth took a moment to collect his thoughts, trying to find the proper wording to answer his son. "What you say is all true… but you are still my son and I am your father. And this would be something that a father would do for their son despite their personal beliefs… correct?"

Adrien turned around and saw his father was awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He felt a sense of warmth and happiness, realizing that this was a genuine gesture from a father to his son. He raced over to his father and began hugging him. "Thank you Dad. I… I really appreciate this, you know that?"

Hawkmoth was taken by surprise at first, not sure how to handle the situation. He slowly and awkwardly raised his hand and began patting his son on the head. "You… are… welcome, son."

Adrien broke off from the embrace and stood beside his father, the two of them staring at the book. Adrien snapped his fingers and changed his appearance back to Chat Noir, out of respect for his father. Seeing this, Hawkmoth reached over and pulled his son closer to him, giving him a side hug as they shared the moment together.

"You know son," Hawkmoth spoke, breaking the silence between them. "I misjudged that girl. She is an exceptional human."

"Excuse me?" Chat asked, being taken by surprise by his Dad's words.

"I was impressed by her. I can sense fear a mile away and she was terrified, but she never backed down. Even when I had her in my clutches, she still fought for her goals and never ran away or gave up. She is indeed different. One could even say unique."

"So… does that mean you don't want her soul anymore?" Chat asked, perking up with hope. His tail began wagging with happiness just from his thoughts of what the answer would be.

Hawkmoth began to chuckle, which caused his to pull away from Chat and step towards the pedestal. He placed his hand on the glass and gazed at his reflection. "You misjudge me son. All I said was that she was different. That is all. If anything, I want her soul even more now."

Chat's tail drooped and his face hardened, disappointed by his father's response. He was certain that he was starting to open up to the idea of letting Marinette live and giving them his blessing but apparently that wasn't the case.

"I thought you were going to change Father," Chat said as he took a few steps away from his father, trying to get some distance away from him. "But I guess not."

"This is all business son, like it always has been." Hawkmoth responded. "The girl eluded our grasp at the Crossroads and I refuse to let it slip from our grasp. Whether you take it or I do, I just want it collected and this whole ordeal to be over with and forgotten."

"Well, I hate to break it to you Father, but it won't be over with for a long time and I'll never forget her. So get those ideas out of your head."

Hawkmoth chuckled slightly and shook his head. "Oh trust me son, it'll be over sooner than you think."

Chat narrowed his eyes at his father. His hands began to glow with a dark energy as his rage began to rise. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll see son."

"You better not be up to something!" Chat barked, his rage and concern peaking now. Hawkmoth just remained silent, which only made Chat even more concerned but he didn't see a point in staying mad. The best thing he could do now is return back to the human realm and stay by Marinette's side. "If that's everything then I'm heading back now."

"That's fine. Until next we meet, Chat Noir."


	52. Chapter 52

**Author's Note:** Small warning that there's an instance of blood in this chapter :P Not sure if it's needed but I know some people may not be able to handle blood well so thought I'd mention juuust in case :P

* * *

 **Chapter 52**

"Hey, did you hear about that new kid?" Marinette and Alya heard as they walked into their school. They looked around and saw the majority of students huddled together in small groups, all seemingly talking about the new student to the school. Both of the girls heard that someone was transferring over from Italy but they didn't think it was that big of a deal. When Adrien was first introduced to the school there was gossip about him too but that wasn't until after it was revealed that he was a world famous model.

"Hey Rose!" Alya called out, interrupting her and Jukela's conversation. The two girls raced over and joined their friends. "What's all the buzz about?"

"You haven't heard? Apparently the new girl is one of Prince Ali's advisors!" Rose replied back to Alya happily.

"I heard that she saved an orphanage from burning to the ground." Jukela added.

"Well, I heard that she's a world famous model just like my Adrikins!" Chloe butted in. "She better not think about touching him!"

Marinette glared at Chloe, annoyed that Chloe still wasn't acknowledging their relationship. "If anyone should be worried about her, it should be me Chloe!"

"Whatever. I'm just saying, when you two break up I don't him to go running to her instead of me!"

Marinette began rolling up her sleeves, about ready to give Chloe a piece of her mind. Alya quickly noticed this and grabbed a hold of her friend, pushing her away before she did something she regretted. "Come on girl; let's take ya to the classroom. Adrien and Nino are waiting for us!"

* * *

Marinette and Alya walked into the classroom and saw Adrien and Nino in their usual seats. However, there was an unfamiliar girl standing beside Adrien, chatting with him and laughing. The both of them assumed that the girl was the new student everyone was talking about. However, Marinette didn't care about it. She knew exactly what this girl was doing and she wasn't going to have any of it.

"Hey there! Hello! Hi!" Marinette greeted as she walked up to the three. She approached the girl and immediately took her hand and shook it up and down. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, pleasure to meet you. I'm Adrien's girlfriend, no matter what anyone tells you."

The new girl, Adrien, and Nino all stared at Marinette, confused by her reaction. Alya just shook her head while she held it, being embarrassed for her friend.

"Umm… Marinette, this is Lila Rossi." Adrien spoke as the girl tried to collect herself.

"Charmed, I'm sure." Lila commented, as she pulled her hand out of Marinette's grasp. She then turned back to Adrien and continued with their conversation. "So, Adrien, I hear you're a model too?"

Marinette took her seat below Adrien's desk and arched her back as much as she could, trying to listen in on their conversation without looking like she was.

"Yes, that's right!" Adrien responded happily.

"That's quite fascinating," Lila sat on his desk and looked into his eyes. "You know, you actually inspired me to be a model myself."

"Did I?"

"Oh yes!" Lila reached into her purse and pulled out a magazine. There were a fear tears and rips in it but Adrien immediately recognized it. It was the Halloween issue that he created months ago where he modelled Halloween costumes. "I bought this issue off the internet. I must say you have quite the hot bod!"

Marinette began grinding her teeth together, about ready to jump up and tell Lila off. Alya brought out a stress ball for her to squeeze on so that it would be easier for her to try and control herself.

"Oh, well, I wouldn't go that far but thank you?" Adrien said as he chuckled nervously.

"You know, I noticed a certain theme in here." Lila opened up the magazine and turned to the centerfold, where it was Adrien in a stereotypical red demon costume. "You seem to have quite the fascination with demons."

Adrien gulped nervously, not knowing where Lila was going with her point. "Umm… sure. I mean… yeah, I do… I guess."

"Well, let me tell you something really fascinating about myself that I know you'd be interested in." Lila leaned in closer to Adrien and began whispering in his ear. "I made a deal with a demon once."

Adrien's eyes went wide with surprise. He pulled Lila away and looked at her with a concerned look on her face. "You did?"

Lila couldn't help but giggle, finding Adrien's reaction cute. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. If you wanna know more then let's meet up after school. There's a cute little park just by this here school that would be perfect. I'll see you then."

Lila booped Adrien on his nose and jumped off of the desk. She started heading down to the teacher's podium where she had to talk to the teacher to find out where her seat was. She glanced over at Marinette as she passed by her, noticing that she was glaring at her. Lila gave Marinette a cheeky wink which only added to the girl's frustration.

"You're not going, are you Adrien?" Marinette asked after she turned around in her seat and faced Adrien. "Right?"

Adrien looked away and began rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I umm… kind of have to. It's kind of important."

"I umm… alright." Marinette spun back in her seat and began squeezing the stress ball again, this time to try and alleviate her anxiety.

"Don't worry Marinette," Adrien said as he leaned over his desk. "I promise you things will be fine. Nothing will change between us."

Adrien placed a kiss on top of Marinette's head, which thankfully calmed her down a lot. Marinette looked up at her boyfriend and smiled at him. "I believe you Adrien. Love you."

"Love you too Marinette."

Nino looked down at Alya. "Love you too babe."

"I know you do." Alya joked. She popped up in her seat and pulled Nino in for a quick kiss on his cheek. "Love you too."

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. Lila stayed away from Adrien for the rest of the day since she wanted to make her meeting with him extra special. It's not like she could've hung around him if she wanted to anyways; all of the rumours she spread about herself caused her to get swarmed by people wanting answers. She didn't have a free moment when it was lunch time.

However, now that school was over, she was completely free except for the one meeting that she was excited for. She sat on a bench and patiently waited for the blond boy to arrive.

She didn't have to wait long however, as Adrien was just a few minutes behind her. He wanted to see Marinette off before going to see Lila. Little did he know though that Marinette had her own agenda. She followed Adrien to the park and hid in one of the bushes to spy on them. It's not that she didn't trust Adrien or his words, it's just that she didn't trust Lila. She didn't know what her game was but the wink she gave is what sealed her suspicions.

"Hey Lila!" Adrien greeted, waving at the girl.

"Hey there!"

Adrien took a seat on the other half of the bench, giving a considerable amount of distance between him and her, which Marinette was thankful for.

"You know girl, you shouldn't have to be so suspicious of Lila. I doubt she'll do anything."

"What if it was Nino instead of Adrien?"

Alya thought about Marinette's words carefully. She nodded at her when she was sure how she'd react if Nino was in the situation instead. "Good point."

The two went back to spying on Adrien and Lila. Marinette did not like the way Lila was looking at her boyfriend but she had to keep calm and see what transpires.

"Okay Lila, I need to know everything about your deal with this demon. It's important." Adrien spoke, his expression changing to a more concerned one.

"What would you like to know?" she asked seductively as she inched closer to him.

"Everything! What this demon looked like, what you gave up, what you got in exchange, how long you got, what drove you to make this deal, just everything."

"My, my. You have done your research, haven't you?" Lila paused to giggle. "Let's see here… It was just shortly after I found your magazine. A shadow came up to me and noticed how much my heart was lusting for you!"

Adrien began biting his lower lip, not liking what he was hearing. Marinette was doing the same but for a different reason. With every sentence she spoke, Lila was getting closer and closer to Adrien which only tensed Marinette up even more. At this point, the stress ball she had was completely squeezed out, with stuffing poking out from some of the stitching.

"He made me an offer that I just couldn't refuse." At this point, Lila was sitting right beside him. Adrien was very uncomfortable with how close she was but he refused to move and listen to Lila's story in its entirety. "He said that I could have any man my heart desired, that I could live a long and happy life with him for as long as I wanted. All I needed to do was just promise my soul when I died."

"Lila-"

"But he also told me something else too."

Adrien raised an eyebrow at her. "And what was that?"

Lila leaned closer to him, until their faces were just inches apart from each other. "He said that all I need to do, to claim his heart for myself, was kiss him."

At that precise moment, Lila grabbed onto Adrien's shirt and locked her lips with his. Adrien's eyes widened when he realized the situation and he began flailing about helplessly. He tried to break from her grasp but to no avail.

"OH NO!" Marinette cried out as she popped out from the bushes and dropped her squeeze ball. "OH HELL NO! Alya hold my ear rings!"

Alya happily accepted the pieces of jewelry and cheered her friend on. "You go get her girl!"

Marinette quickly stomped over to Adrien and Lila and ripped the two of them apart. She placed one foot on the bench, blocking Lila from getting to Adrien.

"HOW DARE YOU! HOW DAAAARE YOU!" Marinette yelled as she glared at Lila. "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO LOCK LIPS WITH MY MAN!"

"I thought- you two… weren't… actually…" Lila replied sheepishly. "The blonde girl said…"

"CHLOE? DID CHLOE TELL YOU THAT WE WEREN'T A COUPLE?"

Lila slowly nodded, feeling completely terrified of Marinette.

"Marinette I-" Adrien tried to interrupt but his words were cut off when Marinette held up her hand at him.

"I don't blame you Adrien." Marinette interrupted instead. "I saw everything. You didn't initiate it and you wanted to break free. You're innocent here."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Lila. " But you, BUT YOU! I GET ENOUGH FROM THAT BLONDE HAIRED QUEEN BEE BUT I WILL NOT HAVE YOU COME IN AND SEDUCING MY MAN AND DISRESPECTING OUR RELATIONSHIP! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE SAYING BUT YOU CAN TAKE WHATEVER IT WAS AND STUFF IN YOUR BIG FAT MOUTH!"

Adrien narrowed his eyes and peered at Lila. "You know Lila, you had me convinced that you made a deal with a demon, but you didn't, did you?"

"I- I-" Tears were starting to well up into Lila's eyes. "I…"

"YOU LIED TO HIM? SO THIS WAS SOME KIND OF TRAP, TO LURE HIM INTO YOUR WEB AND SO YOU COULD LOCK LIPS WITH HIM? WAS THAT IT?"

"I…"

"You know… I bet you lied about everything else too. You aren't an advisor to Prince Ali, you didn't save any burning orphanages. I bet you aren't even a model either. Are you? ARE YOU?"

Lila was completely in tears at this point, unable to make coherent sentences.

"GET OUT OF HERE AND DON'T YOU EVER LET ME CATCH YOU AROUND MY MAN EVER AGAIN YOU LIAR!"

Lila didn't need to be told twice. She got up from her seat and ran away, tears trailing behind her but Marinette didn't care. She had no sympathy for liars, especially ones that intruded with her relationship.

She let out an explosive sigh and sat down on the bench beside Adrien. "Sorry you had to see me like that."

"Gee… Marinette… I know she crossed some boundaries but you went really overboard there."

"Yeah, you really did." Alya spoke as she joined the two. She returned Marinette's ear rings to her and began shaking her head as Marinette put them back in. "I know I was cheering you on but that really was some overkill there."

"Well… maybe I was a bit harsh on her…" Marinette began thinking about the situation and replayed what she said to Lila in her mind. "She did deserve it but maybe not all that. I'll apologize to her tomorrow. I just… I need some time to calm down first."

Adrien and Alya shared a concerned look with each other but they both nodded. "That's fair. Need some time alone?"

Marinette shook her head. "No thanks, I'd rather hang out with you two and talk about things if I need to."

Alya took a seat beside Marinette and smiled. "That's what we're here for girl!"

* * *

Lila stopped running, unable to continue anymore. She pushed her lungs way past their limit, especially since she was still crying. She turned and looked back. She was a few streets away from the park but it was still in sight. She couldn't see Marinette or anyone else in there but just seeing the park was enough to make her think of her. Her tears stopped as her heart was beginning to fill with rage. "I hate you Marinette, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

"Do you now?" a voice spoke, which made Lila jump with surprise and turn around. She saw that standing in front of her was a tall man with slicked back hair and donning a white suit. He looked down at her and raised his eyebrow. "Do you truly hate Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"I… I do!"

"What if I told you I could give you power, way beyond your comprehension and you could use that power to take your revenge on Marinette and doom her to an eternity of suffering?"

Lila looked up at the man and raised an eyebrow at him. "I would say that you're crazy."

"But do you believe my craziness?" He stuck out his hand offered it to him. "All that I ask of you is your complete and total cooperation and allegiance to me. Do we have a deal?"

Lila stared at the man's hand. She had no idea who he was or what he meant, but the rage in her heart and her mind was telling her to accept. She wanted to exact revenge on Marinette so she was willing to believe anything.

"You have a deal." Lila said as she took the man's hand.

Suddenly, both of their hands began glowing with a red energy. Lila stared at it but it quickly faded away. She questioned what it was but she quickly concluded that it was just a figment of her imagination.

"Excellent. Thank you for your cooperation Ms. Rossi." the man said as he smiled. "Now, before we begin, there is something that I must do."

"What is that?"

The man pulled Lila closer to him and suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. He let go of her hand and gave her freedom to move. She staggered backward and looked down when she got her balance. She was horrified by the sight, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. There was a dagger in her chest, right exactly where her heart was. Blood was quickly seeping out and staining her clothes.

"Wh- wh- why?" Lila stammered, being in complete shock from the sight.

"I do not appreciate you using my species in your foolish game of deceit. You insult us when you know nothing!" The man stepped forward and pulled the dagger out from her chest as quick as possible, which made the wound worse and bleed even more. "Consider this penance for your ignorant actions."

Lila wanted to speak more but she wasn't able to. She suddenly felt weak, her life force quickly escaping from her body. She dropped down to her knees then fell face first into the pavement, the last shreds of her life fading away.

"Besides, if you want to ally yourself with a demon then you must become one."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm sorry Lilaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53**

The next day after school, Marinette and Adrien were walking through the park hand-in-hand. Marinette was feeling upset, seeing as Lila wasn't present for school that day. Adrien thought it'd be nice just to walk with Marinette to try and cheer her up but unfortunately, bringing her to the park only made her feel worse.

"I hope she's alright." Marinette said to Adrien as she looked at the bench where everything took place.

"I'm sure she's-" Adrien cut himself off mid-sentence as he began to sense something, something rather unpleasant. He put his arm in front of Marinette and began looking around, trying to find the source of the disturbance.

"Adrien, what's wrong?"

Adrien didn't respond, as he was trying to focus. He searched all around the park but couldn't find anything. He knew his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, the feeling was too strong to just be a figment of his imagination.

"Adrien, you're scaring me." Marinette said, as she tried to lower Adrien's arm.

"Oh trust me, you'll be feeling more than just fear very soon." a voice spoke, sounding like it was coming from all around them. It was familiar to the two; a voice that they haven't known for long but was unforgettable.

Suddenly, the both of them spotted Lila on the bench in front of them, waving at them. However, a few seconds later, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Adrien began gritting his teeth, knowing exactly what was going on.

"Behind you two." Lila spoke again. They turned around and spotted her sitting on top of the water fountain. Before they could say anything, she was gone again in a cloud of smoke. They heard footsteps come from behind them once more and saw Lila was approaching them. However, this time, she didn't poof away as soon as she was spotted.

"Lila, what's going on?" Marinette asked, being genuinely confused.

"Oh, so now you care about me? Cute, but too late." Lila narrowed her eyes and raised her hand. Adrien began bracing himself for what was going to happen next. Lila snapped her fingers which caused her body to become consumed by shadows. After a few seconds, the shadows faded away and left Lila with a completely different appearance. She wore an orange bodysuit with white features across the front and black features for the arms and legs. There was a matching mask across her eyes and her lips were stained orange. A tail that resembled that of a fox's was swishing behind her and there was a pair of ears atop of her head that only added to the fox resemblance. Finally, a flute was now firmly in her hands.

After Marinette and Adrien took a good look at her appearance, she decided to take it one step further. Her eyes suddenly began glowing red and horns began sprouting from her head as well, just in front of the fox ears. It was apparent now to Marinette what she was: a demon.

"What happened to you Lila?" Adrien asked, his concern quickly growing. "What happened?"

Lila pointed at Marinette. " _She_ is what happened to me. She made me into this."

"Lila… I-" Marinette started to speak, unable to believe the sight before her. "I didn't want this!"

"I'm afraid Lila's dead." the demon said as she chuckled. "Standing before you now is the demon Volpina!"

"Adrien, run." Marinette said as she grabbed ahold of Adrien's arm. "It's me she wants. I know this is confusing but I can explain later. Just run and save yourself."

"Oh not at all." Volpina taunted, tapping her flute against her back. "In fact, it's both of you I want. Let's play a little game shall we?"

Volpina began blowing into her flute, which caused roots to come up from the ground beneath the two. They wrapped themselves around Marinette's wrists and ankles and held her up in the air.

"Marinette!" Adrien called out.

Marinette struggled to break free but she couldn't make the roots budge, even in the slightest. The roots had a firm grasp on her and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Now then, the name of the game is 'Expose The Liar'. Of course, Marinette already exposed me but there's another liar amongst us. Let's see how long they can go without telling the truth. And the time limit is however long Marinette's body can last."

As if on cue, the roots began pulling Marinette's body slightly from her limbs. She was becoming uncomfortable already, with her skin stretching past its limit.

Adrien quickly clicked his fingers, intending to make the roots disappear and set Marinette free, but nothing was happening. He tried clicking them more and more times but they still remained in place, slowly pulling Marinette's body apart. Adrien began growling, realizing what it meant.

"Lila! I'm sorry for everything! Truly!" Marinette called out as she tried to suppress the pain she was experiencing. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did! You didn't deserve it! I'm sorry, but please don't do this!"

Volpina didn't respond to Marinette apology. Instead, she blew into her flute some more which made the roots to pull even harder.

"Let go of her now!" Adrien barked at the demon.

"Not until the liar comes clean." she responded, then blew into her flute once again. This time, causing Marinette to let out a scream of pain.

"Alright! Alright!" Marinette cried out, being the first to break. She looked down at Adrien and smiled at him awkwardly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, because I didn't think you'd believe me, but one of my best friends is a demon from Hell. And right now, he's the only one that can get us out of this situation."

Marinette looked up at the sky and began calling out. "CHAT! CHAT NOIR! PLEASE! WE NEED YOUR HELP!"

Adrien began clenching his fists. The situation was becoming even more dire and he was unsure what to do. Marinette was up there, crying out for Chat Noir, and his magic was ineffective. He doubted as well that Volpina would let Adrien walk away freely. He had to come up with an idea and fast.

"Awe, how touching." Volpina said. She clicked her fingers which made the roots speed up with their pulling and started making Marinette continually crying out in agony. "But you weren't the liar I was talking about!"

Adrien snapped his fingers, which caused a Chat Noir illusion to appear on top of the roots. The fake Chat greeted Marinette and smiled at her. "Heard your calls m'lady. Hope I'm not too late."

"Not at all! In fact, you're just in-"

At that moment, much to Marinette's surprise, a root stabbed itself through Chat's chest. Marinette felt horrified for a moment but the fake Chat Noir disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Nice try," Volpina taunted. "But I won't let silly illusions like that ruin our game."

Volpina turned her attention to Adrien and smiled. "If you really and truly want to save Marinette, all you need to do is reveal your secret Adrien."

Volpina began blowing into her flute once again, which caused the roots to pull even harder, which began testing the limits of Marinette's body. Adrien began gritting his teeth, being conflicted on what to do.

"Come on Adrien, reveal your secret!"

"Don't!" Marinette protested as she tried to fight against the roots. "Don't give in to her demands Adrien!"

"Reveal your secret!" Volpina repeated and blew into her flute again.

Marinette began screaming even more, and louder this time.

"Reveal your secret Adrien!" Volpina repeated again.

"DON'T DO IT!" Marinette repeated again before she let out the loudest scream she's made yet. "CHAT NOIR WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Adrien sighed. It looked like Marinette's body was starting to reach her limits. She was already screaming as loud as she could and was already panting from the pain. He knew she wouldn't last any longer if he dragged it along any further. There was only one thing he could do to save her, it was the only way. "I'm sorry Princess, I didn't want you to find out this way."

Adrien held his hand up and snapped his fingers, which caused shadows to form on his body. Marinette looked down in astonishment at what she was beholding. Within seconds, the boy's form had changed into the last thing Marinette would suspect. He looked up at Marinette with a concerned look and said to her, "Marinette, I am Chat Noir. I have been all this time. Adrien Agreste is really me, Chat Noir."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Surpriseeeeee~ This is how I always intended the reveal to happen in this fic, ever since Day 1 |D Volpina forcing Adrien to reveal his secret in order to save Marinette~


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54**

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch! Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch!" That was the only thing Marinette could say in her present state. She was in complete shock and disbelief at what she had just witnessed. She saw it with her own two eyes but her mind refused to comprehend it: Her boyfriend that she loved with all of her heart was really her demonic best friend. She couldn't believe it, not at all but yet, that was the reality that was in front of her. "Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch! Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch!"

"And the truth finally comes out." Volpina said proudly, with a prideful smile on her face. She clicked her fingers which caused the roots to fade away, which also made Marinette drop to the ground. Chat immediately raced underneath Marinette and caught her in time. He placed her down on the ground safely and smiled. "I guess you can say you fell for me, huh?"

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch!" Marinette repeated again, still being unable to speak properly.

"Is uhh… is she alright?" Volpina asked. "I was expecting some screams or yells or at least a question or two asked or something."

"You broke her." Chat said, glaring Volpina. He turned his attention back to the Broken Marinette. He placed his hands on his shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Listen, I promise you I'll explain everything later but right now you have to run. I'll fend her off. Go home, get to a Church, I don't care! Just… Get. To. Safety! Nod if you understand."

Marinette nodded slowly, which was enough for Chat. He turned Marinette around and pushed her. "Good. Now go! Run! RUN!"

Marinette began running as per Chat's command. She didn't know where she was going, her mind was a blank. All she knew at this current moment was to run, like he said.

Chat smiled as Marinette left the park then turned around to face Volpina. "Alright, it's just you and me now."

Volpina smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted."

* * *

Marinette crawled into her kitchen and turned on the taps. She splashed water on her face, needing the chilling sensation to snap her back to reality. She still couldn't believe it. Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir. Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste. It still sounded farfetched to her. All this time… all of the experiences she shared with Adrien… everything she did with Chat Noir… it was all the same person… the same demon…

She didn't know how to feel or what to think. How did all of this happen? What was she to do about it? There were so many questions burning in her mind but her mind just continued to fixate on Adrien and Chat Noir being one in the same.

"So, now you know the truth." an ominous voice spoke from behind Marinette, causing her to shriek. She quickly spun around and saw Hawkmoth standing on the other side of the room.

"What- What are you doing here?"

"I've become tired of you. I'm finally here to take your soul. I no longer care if you are lost to the angels, I just want you to be disposed of and for Chat Noir to return to Hell where he belongs!"

Hawkmoth began stepping forward towards Marinette, taking one slow step at a time. Marinette quickly began to panic, realizing the situation she was now in. She grabbed ahold of her sink's nozzle and tried to spray Hawkmoth with water. However, the water evaporated before it even reached him.

Marinette hopped over the counter and backed away, trying to get distance between the two of them. She looked to a window and debated jumping out but a swarm of shadows suddenly appeared and covered it. She looked to her door and found the same result. She was trapped, with nowhere to go.

Hawkmoth continued getting closer and closer to Marinette. Eventually, she was backed into a corner with nowhere else to go. Hawkmoth stamped his cane on the ground when he got closer to Marinette, which caused a blade to poke out of the end. He held it up as he got closer and angled it so that it was close to her throat. "I will enjoy watching the life drain from your body."

Marinette looked down at the blade in front of her and began panicking again. She looked around for an escape but there were none. She was trapped and at Hawkmoth's mercy.

"Any last words?" Hawkmoth asked, as the tip of the blade pressed against her throat.

"Just seven actually." Marinette said, as she looked at Hawkmoth straight in his beating red eyes. "I would like to make a deal."

"You would, hm?" Hawkmoth lowered his blade slightly, giving Marinette some comfort so she could speak to him honestly. "Do you have another book or artifact or anything that you'll use to barter again?"

Marinette shook her head. "Not this time. This is for my soul."

"I see. What are the conditions then?"

Marinette noticed an evil grin on Hawkmoth's face. She knew that he was going to do something sneaky and underhanded to try and claim her soul. Luckily though, she was prepared for this. She came up with an idea that has no loopholes to exploit.

"One hour." Marinette spoke. "I wish to have a full conversation with you for one hour."

"That's it?" Hawkmoth couldn't help but burst out into laughter after hearing the condition. "One measly hour? Chatting with me? For your soul?"

"Kind of. For one hour, I want to speak with you and to try and change your mind about Chat Noir and I. If within that hour I'm unable to change your mind, then you will have my soul, no strings attached. I will even convince Chat Noir not to pursue revenge. However, if I'm able to change your mind, even in the slightest or you cannot withstand the full hour then you grant Chat Noir his freedom and you stop pursuing my soul. Bear in mind as well that I said _full_ conversation so you have to chat with me or else you forfeit. Do we have a deal?"

Marinette extended her hand out to the demon, feeling confident and determined that she expressed her idea clearly without any loopholes to exploit. Hawkmoth looked down at Marinette's hand and narrowed his eyes at it. "That sounds more like a gamble than a deal."

"I heard demons like gambling. Am I wrong?"

Hawkmoth chuckled. "You are not."

Hawkmoth retracted his cane completely and used his free hand to connect it with Marinette's. "Fine. You have a deal."

An eerie red light suddenly appeared on their hands. When Marinette looked down to check it, it faded away. Hawkmoth couldn't help but laugh now that the deal was made. "Your soul will look great in my trophy case. I can assure you, there will be no way you can change my mind about the two of you."

"We'll see about that." Marinette walked over to her cabinets and pulled out an egg timer. She set it to go off in an hour and placed it on the table as she sat down. "One hour. Have a seat and then we'll begin."


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55**

Chat Noir lowered his body as he took a defensive stance. He kept his gaze fixated on Volpina, eyeing her carefully in case she pulls any tricks. He quickly glanced back behind him, making sure Marinette made it away safely. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't distressed by the events that took place moments prior. He had this grand plan to reveal his identity to Marinette when it was time to propose to Marinette somewhere down the line but that plan was ruined. He'd also be lying if he said he wasn't mad at Volpina for ruining it, and he suspected his father was behind it too, but he had to surpress his emotions for now and focus on the inevitable fight at hand. He cared about protecting Marinette more than anything at the current moment so that's what he had his mind focus on.

"You'd better be careful with what you do," Chat Noir spoke as he raised an eyebrow confidently at Volpina. "The angels aren't going to be too pleased with what's going on. That is, if they're not mad already."

Volpina began chuckling, confusing Chat with such a response. "Oh, I don't need to worry at all. Everything we do here is invisible to the humans and angels, unless if I choose it not to be. But your father was very very clear that I shouldn't do that. So as far as anyone's concerned, the park is completely empty and devoid of any demonic presence."

Chat Noir smirked. "Good, that means I don't have to hold back."

"You have to find me first for that to happen."

Volpina began blowing on her flute as she began running, causing her to fade away out of sight. Chat stiffened his body and waited, trying to sense Volpina's presence. He suddenly got the feeling that something was behind him so he quickly turned around and slashed, landing a direct blow on the fox demon but causing her to poof away into smoke. She appeared again beside him but he managed to slash her in time as well.

More and more Volpinas kept appearing all around Chat Noir, becoming faster and more in number but Chat fought against each one successfully, never giving up. He knew that all of them were just mere clones and the real Volpina was hiding somewhere but he couldn't let down his guard. He needed to figure out where she was and strike when she least expected it.

In between strikes, Chat looked around and see if he could spot her. There was nothing from what he could see. He panicked for a moment and thought she left the area to go after Marinette, but he started noticing a musical tone coming from somewhere within the park. It sounded like a flute to him, the same instrument Volpina plays before using her powers. If he wanted the clones to stop he'd have to get that flute away from her.

Chat spun around as fast as he could, slashing any Volpina clones that got in range and when he had a window of opportunity, he leapt at where the music was coming from. Much to his surprise, he managed to grab Volpina and pin her to the ground.

"Let go of me!" Volpina groaned, as she tried to struggle out of Chat's grasp. He turned his gaze over to her hands and spotted the flute that she was using.

"With pleasure." Chat answered. He released his hold on the fox demon but with his cat-like reflexes, he snagged the flute out of her grasp and leaped away for a moment. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing this though!"

"No!"

Volpina raced at Chat, wanting to reclaim her flute but it was too late. Chat took the instrument and slammed it against his leg, causing it to break into two pieces and rendering it useless.

"Sorry Volpina, it's over." Chat said triumphantly. He let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the demon who had her head hanging down at the ground. "Listen, Lila, I know it's too late but maybe there's something I can do to help you?"

Much to Chat's surprise, Volpina began chuckling. It was soft and rather silent at first but she suddenly burst out into loud, evil laughter. "You don't know anything, do you Chat Noir?"

Volpina snapped her fingers which caused a new flute to appear in her hands, catching Chat Noir by surprise. She began playing on it, which caused the ground below him to rumble and shake. Pillars began rising up from the ground, surrounding Chat Noir and preventing him from going anywhere. He pounded against the pillars that were now turning into walls, trying to break them but to no avail. Within seconds, he found himself sealed inside without anywhere to go.

" _You want to help me? You can't help me. Let me show you why."_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry that this chapter is so short ^^; I didn't want to drag the fight out too long ^^; (I'm not the best at writing long fights ^^; ) But the next Chat chapter makes up for it length wise~  
But the next chapter will be a Marinette chapter :3 Just as a head's up~


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56**

Things felt tense and awkward for Marinette. After all, the lord from hell was sitting across from her, patiently waiting to hear what she had to say. Plus, her entire existence was on a timer, slowly ticking away second by second.

A little while ago, Chat Noir returned from his home realm and warned Marinette that his father was scheming against her. The two of them made plans ahead of time in order to prepare themselves in case Hawkmoth ever did make his move. They planned for in case they were together and they were separated. Marinette was hoping that none of the plans would ever come to fruition but sadly, it seemed like that was just a fool's hope.

She was just thankful that Hawkmoth accepted her deal. The biggest risk with the plan was Hawkmoth refusing to listen to her and taking her life without hesitation. Chat Noir was sure that his father wouldn't do that, that Marinette's soul had become like a trophy or some big prize to him and he would want to claim it if he could, but the risk was still there. It was a gamble, but it worked out to Marinette's favour.

Marinette stared Hawkmoth deep into his eyes and began by saying, "I am not Chat Noir's mother."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Hawkmoth yelled, feeling insulted by Marinette's words. Black flames sprouted up from the ground as symbolism of his rage. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK OF HER! I SHOULD TAKE YOUR MISERABLE LIFE RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"

"ONE HOUR BUSTER!" Marinette yelled back, pointing at the egg timer. "We agreed one hour for our deal! If you can't last then I win! And trust me, all of the topics I have in mind will be just as sensitive as this one is."

Hawkmoth glared at Marinette, knowing that he was trapped by the deal they made. There was nothing more in the present that he'd like more than to take Marinette's life right there and then. However, he reminded himself that once it was over, her soul would be his and he could have his "fun" with it when he takes it back down with him. He calmed himself down and sat back down in his seat. "My apologies. Please continue."

Marinette smiled. "I am sorry for the way that came out. It may have sounded like a personal attack to you but I assure you it wasn't. Chat Noir… Adrien…"

"Chat Noir." Hawkmoth interrupted.

"Okay, Chat Noir warned me that you might be a bit stubborn keeping an open mind if I tried talking to you. He told me that his mother was a sensitive topic to bring up around you so I wanted to bring it up first; get it out of the way and so the rest of conversation can go smoothly."

Marinette could hear a soft grumble come from Hawkmoth, but all he did in response was nod and say, "I understand. Carry on but do be more careful the way you phrase things."

"I will!" Marinette began chuckling nervously, becoming slightly worried about what she had to say next. However, she swallowed away her anxiety and carried on as normal. "Chat Noir told me what happened between you and her. Chat Noir thinks the world of his mother, as if she was an angel, but I'm actually on your side."

"Oh?" Hawkmoth asked, raising an eyebrow and becoming intrigued by Marinette's words.

"It was wrong of her to run out on you that morning. I don't know exactly what she was feeling or thinking when she woke up, but she should've stayed and communicated that with you. You may be the ruler of Hell, but you still have feelings too and all she did by running was hurt you. You must have cared for her deeply, even though you two just met the night before. If you didn't, then mentioning her wouldn't cause such an extreme reaction from you."

Hawkmoth turned away and looked at the ground. He didn't want to admit anything to Marinette but the deal they made required him to talk. He considered lying to her, say whatever came to mind and run the clock out. However, there was a part inside of him that was encouraging him to tell the truth, that now was the opportunity to let things out. "She… was different from all of the other humans I've met. She was still scared of me, I could sense it, but she fought instead of running. I always saw humans as snivelling cowards before that day but she was the first one to not only stand up to me, but also attack me too. She intrigued me and I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to learn more about her and other humans like her. However, she saw me as nothing more but a demon and a mistake and apparently did not want the same things I wanted."

"Do you want some tea?" Marinette asked.

Hawkmoth nodded. "Yes please."

Marinette bounced up from her seat and walked over to her cabinets. "Any specific flavour you prefer?"

"Charcoal with blood essence if you have it at your disposal."

Marinette quickly spun around, surprised by what she had heard. However, Hawkmoth couldn't help but chuckle at seeing her reaction. "I jest. Anything you have will suffice. I don't have the luxury to drink much so I'm not picky. Any flavour will be a welcome treat."

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

After preparing the tea bags and putting the kettle on the stove, she sat back down and continued the conversation while the water boiled. "I don't blame you for getting the ideas you did because of her, but I promise you, I'm nothing like her. I've been around Chat Noir for months now. I don't see him as a demon in the slightest. If anything, I see him as that quirky best friend who hangs out in my closet too much."

Hawkmoth nodded at her. "I realize this but your view could change."

"And then I could just change it back."

"Would you?" Hawkmoth asked, raising another eyebrow at her. "If you begin to see him as a demon, you're willing to turn a blind eye to any and all demonic deeds he does and see him as that quirky best friend again? You can assure me that no matter what he does, no matter how many times he does it, that will be the case?"

Marinette began to scowl. She wanted to say yes to him, but she didn't feel confident saying it. She knew Chat wouldn't do anything of the sort but she couldn't deny the possibility that she would feel that way about him. In fact, there were a couple of scenarios that she thought of where she couldn't change her mind about him, such as if he took her parents's lives for example.

"You say you know what happened between his mother and I, but you do not know the full story." Hawkmoth looked down at the table and began clenching his fists. "There is another part that Chat Noir doesn't know about. No one ever told him, only I know.

Marinette reached across the table and placed her hand on Hawkmoth's. "I'm interested to know. Please, tell me."

" _This all took place not too long ago, at least by demon standards. It was a normal day, much like the rest. I was torturing souls when I began to sense a strong amount of darkness coming from the human realm. Normally I would send one of my minions to investigate but I took matters into my own hands, needing a change from the usual routine. I discovered that the source of the darkness came from a mortal. Caucasian, age 34, male. In the span of one night, he lost his job, his wife divorced him, and his place of residence burned to the ground. All of his possessions were destroyed and much more unfortunate, his animal companions were lost to the flames as well._ "

"Oh no. I feel so sorry for the poor guy." Marinette interrupted.

Hawkmoth nodded. "Cases such as this are rare, occurring only one in a blue moon. It is always tragic for the victim."

" _Continuing on, I found out that this man's soul was clean of any sin. It was quite the valuable soul and I decided that I wanted to claim it for myself._

 _I made my presence known to him, but also hidden to the angels. When I appeared, he turned into a snivelling coward that begged me not to kill him. It was pathetic, but the soul was still valuable. I explained who I was and what I had to offer him, which calmed him down some. He thought about my offer and accepted. Curiously, his asking price was just a gun. That was it. No special model or powers or anything. All that he asked extra is that he knew how many bullets were in the gun when he received it. As soon as we shook, and sealed the deal, I gave him the type of gun known as an AK-47. In it were thirty bullets; which was the standard clip size for that weapon. I also threw in three extra clips for him, just in case."_

"I don't have a good feeling about this story." Marinette commented, her knees starting to shake from fear and anxiety.

" _He thanked me for his weapon and went on his way, saying that I would claim his soul fairly soon. I was curious and decided to watch instead of returning to my duties. I found out that the reason he wanted the gun was to exact his revenge on the world. He stepped into a mall and began unloading his bullets into anyone that was unfortunate enough to be in his line of vision._ "

"Wait a second…" Marinette pondered a thought for a moment. "A mall… you don't mean…"

Hawkmoth nodded once more. "Yes, it is exactly as you think."

" _I watched on from the balconies above and took pleasure in all of the chaos he was causing. Soul after soul was being taken prematurely, heading to the Crossroads for my demons to try and take in the name of Hell. Without my intervention, none of it would've been possible. It was bliss for a moment, but that was until… **she**_ _came in._ "

Marinette scowled. "Adri- I mean… Chat's mother."

" _She had always been the oblivious type. She had walked in, and was stunned by the condition the mall had found itself in. The man had heard her enter and turned around. It was at that moment that I knew what his intentions were. I panicked and tried to shield her from the assault but… I was too late. By the time I teleported to her location, the bullet had already pierced her heart._

 _I became consumed with rage and incinerated the man right there and then without hesitation. I took her body and embraced it in my arms. For the first time in my entire existence, I regretted a deal._

 _She was still showing signs of life luckily. I was about to use my powers to heal her wound, but she awoke momentarily and began screaming. She tried to shove me away and struggled to get out of my grasp, which only made her wounds worse. It wasn't long before she left and went to the Crossroads, but she said something that still haunts me to this day. Her last words were "Get away from me you demon. Stay away.""_

Marinette placed a cup down in front of Hawkmoth, now that the tea was ready. He looked down into the brown liquid and stared at his reflection. "I tried to save her, I tried to make things right. But even in her last moments, she still saw me as nothing more but a demon and wouldn't give me a chance."

"That wasn't right of her." Marinette said as she sat back down in her seat with a tea cup in her hands. "I don't know why she said it but you deserved a chance. I can understand why you're so against humans after experiencing something like that, but I promise I won't be like that to Chat Noir. I'm sure you've been seeing how I am around him and even if he does something as… let's say drastic as that, I would… try and understand where he was coming from and…"

"You're trying to talk your way out of this, I can tell." Hawkmoth said just before he nonchalantly took a sip from his cup.

"No, I'm not. It's just… hard to picture Chat in that situation and it's hard to imagine how I feel. It all depends on context so I was trying to give a general answer while thinking out my words.

Hawkmoth hummed and took another sip of his tea. "I believe your words to be true."

"Thank you." Marinette let out a sigh of relief. She was telling Hawkmoth the truth, that she was trying to give him a general answer. She was worried that considering the circumstances that he wouldn't believe her but luckily, that wasn't the case. She decided to switch the topic to something still more relevant, but still something that she was hoping would help her case. "It sounded like that you still love her."

Hawkmoth looked back into the cup again and thought. "Honestly? I did. Even though she left me that morning, I wasn't able to get over her. Strange as it may sound, considering my position and all. I remember that when I needed breaks, I would open a window to the human realm and check in on her and my son too. I saw how she kept embracing Chat's demonic half, which led me to believe she had changed her views. I wanted to go and see her but… …"

"You were scared?"

"I DO NOT GET SCARED!" Hawkmoth yelled again.

"TEMPER!" Marinette pointed to the egg timer. "WE HAVE FORTY MINUTES LEFT MISTER!"

Hawkmoth grumbled and sat back down in his seat. "I apologize for my behaviour once again. Fear is a sensitive topic to me. I do not allow myself to be scared. If anything, I instill fear in others."

"Okay, I understand." Marinette sipped her tea. "How about we say you were nervous then?"

"Hmm… that suffices, I guess. Yes, I was nervous. Despite her claims about my son's demonic side, I was still unsure how she'd react to my presence. I was waiting for the proper time but…" Hawkmoth turned his head and looked out the shadow-covered window closest to him. "It seems like that was just a fool's thought."

"Not at all!" Marinette protested, causing Hawkmoth to turn his head back to her. "If I was in your position, I'd feel the exact same way. I don't mean to speak ill of his mother, but it seems like Chat's mother is a really odd person. I've heard a lot about her but can't figure out why she treated you like that. She seems to be sweet to him but cold to you."

Hawkmoth nodded. "Quite."

"She's odd for sure, but I promise you I'm not like that. I'm not her and I promise I won't hurt Chat at all like how she hurt you. You have my word on that."

Hawkmoth hummed and lifted his teacup to take a sip out of it once again, but paused half way through to stare at his reflection. He thought about Marinette's words carefully and hummed once again. "Perhaps you won't, but perhaps you will. That is for me to judge and I still have thirty-seven minutes before I have to make my final decision."


	57. Chapter 57

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to put a trigger warning; this chapter deals with some very heavy instances of bullying. As well, there's one instance of some unsavory language but I censored it :P Still wanted to give a head's up about it :P

This should be the last chapter that needs a trigger warning~ The rest should be relatively safe here on out~

* * *

 **Chapter 57**

"LILA! LILA! LET ME OUT!" Chat protested as he banged against the walls. After a few more unsuccessful attempts he gave up and decided to make a plan of escape. He looked around and saw that it was nothing but darkness all around him. It was something he was used to but it didn't help the situation at hand. If he could tell what material the walls were made of then he could just drill his way out.

He snapped his fingers, trying to make fire appear for him to use as a light source but it faded away before it could be of any use to him. It appeared as if Volpina was limiting his magic powers while he was trapped, which was a bad sign.

A bright light suddenly shone in Chat's eye, causing him to shield himself from it. When his vision was restored, he noticed he was somehow in a school. It wasn't the school he and Marinette attended though, it was a completely different school that he didn't recognize.

" _You say you want to help me Chat Noir but how can you do that when you don't even know me?_ " Volpina's voice echoed, sounding like it was coming from everywhere. " _You don't know what I've been through, what I had to endure._ "

"I know that whatever you've gone through, it's better than working for my father!" Chat yelled back at her.

There was another soft chuckling. " _We'll see about that._ "

At the end of the hallway, Chat spotted a familiar looking woman in an orange blazer turning the corner. He knew that's where Volpina wanted him to go but he wouldn't play her game. Instead, he turned to the lockers beside him and found an empty patch of wall there. He punched at the spot as hard as he could. He thought his demonic strength would break through the wall easily, but he was wrong. Despite looking like drywall, it was as hard as steel. Chat yelped in pain as he retracted his hand. He looked at the wall again to see if anything had changed but alas, it hadn't. It appeared as if everything around him was simulated, an illusion perhaps and he couldn't see through it.

" _I thought you wanted to help me._ " Volpina echoed once more. " _Or was that a lie too?_ "

"No! I do want to help! Honest!" Chat replied back, but he began biting his lower lip. It was the half-truth. He did want to help Lila but he knew that it was a near impossible task. She was a demon now, her humanity was completely erased and unable to be restored. The only thing that he could do for her was to try and convince her to join up with him and Marinette and not listen to his father but that was it. Once you've made a deal with Hawkmoth, there was no escape from it.

Chat sighed and decided it was best to follow along with whatever she had planned for him. He would be cautious and careful however, trying to look for an opening to escape.

He walked to where he first spotted Lila and turned the corner. There, he saw the young girl chatting amongst a small group of three other young girls. Lila was smiling and bouncing up and down, appearing to be happy and full of life.

" _A pleasant sight, isn't it?_ " Volpina asked. " _What would you say if I said that's the way I was, back at my old school before everything changed?_ "

"I would ask what happened to you for starters."

" _Lies. Lies are what happened to me!_ "

The area around Chat began to shift. It didn't seem too different than what it was before, except now there were a bunch of students on both sides. Lila was at the other end of the hall, walking towards Chat with her books firmly in her arms and pressed against her chest. Her head was lowered and she kept her eyes to the ground as she walked. Chat began hearing the other students talk as Lila walked past them. They were all saying things such as "There's that girl that farted in gym class." and "Here comes that freak that writes smut about her friends!"

Everything that was said was something new and different, and it was all about Lila too. Chat deduced that it was just rumours or lies about Lila that the other children believed. As Lila got closer and closer, tears began welling up in her eyes.

Chat reached out to Lila but as soon as his hand made contact, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

" _Lies! All of them were lies! Lie after lie and no one would hear the truth!_ "

The scene shifted again, but this time it was like what it was before. Lila walked past the same three girls from before, pretending that they weren't there.

"Lila!" one of the girls called out to her, which caught her attention.

"Why are you ignoring us?" a second girl said.

"I…" Lila looked down at the ground to her side. "I didn't think you wanted to be around me. There's all those rumours going around about me."

"We don't care about those!" the third girl said as she rushed over to Lila's side. The three of them wrapped their arms around Lila and hugged her. "You're our friend. We can help you build your rep back up!"

"Awe, how sweet." Chat commented.

" _Sweet? You think this was sweet?_ " Horns began to sprout from the three girls's heads and their faces began to melt, taking away their fake smiles and replacing them evil looking ones. " _They were the ones that started those rumours in the first place!_ "

"Why would they do that? They said they were your friends!"

" _It was because of lies._ "

The scene shifted once again, this time Chat and the four girls were in a bedroom. It was rather feminine looking. From some of the pictures on the dresser, it appeared as if it was Lila's bedroom.

"Okay Lila, truth or dare!"

"Truth of course!" Lila said happily.

"Okay, who do you have a crush on?"

The three girls began squealing happily while Lila just began to blush. She didn't expect such a question to be asked but she was trapped now and had to answer truthfully. "I umm… I like Gianni Pryce."

The squeeling stopped and the room went dead silent. Lila looked between the girls and wondered what was going on.

"Umm, Lila. You know that Gianni and Cecilia are going out, right?"

"Wait, really?" Lila looked at Cecilia who nodded. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

"It's fine!" Cecilia waved nonchalantly. "Just as long as you don't think of stealing him away from me!"

The area began to change once again and Chat found himself back at the school once again. This time, Lila was running up to the three girls with an unpleasant look on her face. "Hey! You three told me that Gianni and Cecilia were going out but I just heard from his friend Robert that he's single."

The three girls all shared a look and began laughing. Cecilia stepped forward and placed a hand on Lila's shoulder. "Lila, sweetie. We may not be 'officially' going out but I am soooooo close to it, it's pretty much a sure thing at this point. But I don't need you to get in my way of my Gianni!"

"But-"

"Trust me sweetie, do what's for your own good and stay out of it."

"I guess this is why Lila didn't believe Marinette…" Chat commented.

Once again, there was another change in location. Lila was at her locker, getting her books for class. Suddenly, Cecilia slammed the locker shut with the other two girls standing behind her. Lila turned and saw that the three didn't appear to be happy, not at all.

"Lila, what's this I hear about you going out with Gianni? MY Gianni?"

Lila took a step back, afraid of what was going to happen. "Well umm… you see… he actually asked me out yesterday and I… umm… said yes."

"Why did you do that? You know _I_ was interested in him!"

"I umm… think…" Lila looked down at the ground. "I think Gianni should make his own decisions on who he wants to date. If he wanted to date you then he would've asked you instead of me."

Chat examined the girls carefully. He could see that there was a burning fire in Cecilia's eyes but much to his surprise, her expression and body softened and she put a smile on her face. "Well, you are right about that. I hope you and Gianni are sooo happy together."

Lila looked back up from the ground and smiled happily. "Thank you!"

She leaned in and gave the three girls a hug before running off. As soon as Lila faded away, completely out of sight, Chat heard Cecilia say "You know what we have to do girls."

"Lila…" Chat spoke, feeling sympathy for the girl. "I… I don't know what to say. You were right, this Gianni guy had every right to choose who he wanted to date and you shouldn't have suffered for it."

" _That's not even the half of it._ "

The area began to change some more, this time being more frequent but less detailed. The first scene was one like Chat already saw, with Lila walking down the hall with tears in her eyes and other students whispering about her. Then it shifted back to Lila's room again. There was a pinging noise coming from behind Chat, which were notifications from social media, all seemingly to be about more lies about Lila. It shifted again into what now appeared to be a psychiatrist's office where Lila was lying down and talking with a doctor. Eventually, it finally stopped back the school. Lila walked past the three girls once again. They called out to her, which made her stop for a second but she continued walking without saying a word.

"Hey! Lila! Hello! We're calling out to you!"

"I know it was you three." Lila spoke sternly. "I thought you were my friends."

"We stopped being friends when you dated Gianni! You knew I liked him but you still continued!"

"You said you were fine with it."

"Guess what, I lied!"

Lila began gripping her books closer to her chest. "So everything since then has been a lie too, hasn't it?"

"Duh."

"We could have talked about it more. You didn't have to spread rumours and lies about me."

"We could have, but what's done is done. Your rep at this school has been destroyed and Gianni thinks you're a monster. Now no one will date you!"

Tears began dripping onto the floor beneath Lila. The three girls noticed and began laughing at her, which caused Lila to run away and escape from the situation.

There was another change, where Chat saw Lila walking towards her locker. There was a yellow sticky note on the door, which Lila pulled off and read. After a few seconds, she dropped her books and the note and began running away.

Confused, Chat Noir walked up to her locker and picked up the sticky note. On it were the words "Go the bathroom and see what tattletales get. Or else."

Chat's heart sunk for a second when he realized what it meant. He followed after Lila, running as fast as he could. He eventually reached the women's bathroom where the door was closed. He was reluctant to enter, but he heard crying inside of it. He knew too that Volpina wanted him to go inside so he would, just this once.

He knocked twice for good measure, then slowly opened the door. The first sight he saw was Lila sitting cross legged on the ground, crying her eyes out. He looked up and begin examining the room but it didn't take him long to see what it was he needed to see. On all of the bathroom mirrors and on some of the stall doors, written in red lipstick, were the words "LILA ROSSI IS A S***".

"Lila…"

That was the only thing that Chat Noir could say to the situation. He couldn't imagine how Lila felt after seeing it. The crying illusion in front of him gave him some idea but he still didn't know the full extent of how she felt.

" _I wanted the bullying to stop! I wanted the LIES to stop! I went to the principal to get it to stop. But it only made things worse. That moment was my breaking point, the moment where the Lila Rossi everyone knew was no more_."

The area shifted once again. This time Chat found himself inside of a car in the backseat. In the seats in front of him were a man and a woman who he assumed were Lila's parents. Sitting beside him too was none other than the girl in question, looking out at the scenery as they drove. Chat couldn't see but he could tell that Lila didn't have the happiest expression on her face.

"Don't worry kiddo," her father spoke. "You're going to a new school in Paris and you can start fresh and away from those bullies."

Lila didn't say anything in response.

"That model you really like will be there." her mother added. "That Adrien fellow. Maybe you two can become friends?"

Once again, Lila didn't respond.

"You'll make lots of new friends and be yourself, right honey?"

Lila softly whispered, "No."

" _I couldn't fight against lies, so I became one._ "

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I wanted to give a bit of background to this chapter~  
When Lila was first introduced in Miraculous, I was confused and concerned as to why she was such a compulsive liar. So when I wanted to introduce her into this fic, I wanted to give her a bit of backstory as to why that was :P And this is what I came up with~ I thought it'd be sad but cool if she lied so much because she tried to fight against them but couldn't so she started doing it herself :P  
My beta reader pointed out that the story I gave Lila sounds a bit like the whole Marinette-Adrien-Chloe debacle but I swear that was accidental XD But also kinda cool since it kinda parallels Marinette and Lila~  
Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed :3


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58**

"Let me ask you this Ms. Dupain-Cheng, why do humans date?"

Marinette spat out her tea, causing the beverage to spray everywhere, especially on Hawkmoth's face. He took his hand and slowly wiped off his leather-clad face, donning an unamused expression. "I really wish you did not do that."

"S-sorry." Marinette stammered, her nervousness affecting her speech. "I j-just… never expected to be asked that question."

"I do believe it is a fair question." Hawkmoth stated, then took a sip from his cup. "Your end goal is to change my mind about you and Chat Noir. I am almost certain I know of the answer, but I wish to hear it straight from a human's mouth; more specifically yours. There is a chance it could help your cause."

Marinette gulped, feeling unsure what to say. She never thought about it before and now, whatever she gives, could either help save her life or hurt it. She thought long and hard about it, being careful to choose her words. Hawkmoth waited patiently for her, curious to see what she would come up with.

"Well… I imagine everyone has their own reasons for dating. Personally, I believe it's a way to get to know someone better and personally while remaining exclusive to each other."

"I see. And tell me, why is the exclusive part so important?"

Once again, Marinette thought about how to answer his question but this time it took less time to come up with her answer. "Because it forbids others from developing as deep of a connection that the two share."

Hawkmoth nodded and hummed. "I see. You know, in my experience of dealing with humans, I have heard many stories of what many call 'cheaters'. As well, I have heard that there is such a concept of polygamy, where a person may date multiple people at the same time and the 'connections', as you put it, are the same as if they remained monogamous."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Hawkmoth, becoming suspicious of him thanks to her words. She couldn't tell what it was, but she felt like he was trying to get something out of her, something that she wasn't providing which was why he provided such a deep analysis of her words. "Listen, whatever your point is, just say it."

Hawkmoth put down his teacup and dabbed his mouth with the handkerchief that was provided to him. "Very well."

Hawkmoth folded his hands and leaned forward over the table. He looked deep into Marinette's eyes as he spoke. "From what I understand of human customs, humans date so that they may find a partner to share their life with. The courtship, or rather, 'dating ritual' is used to find out if the partners are compatible before making their union official in the eyes of God and the law. From what I understand as well, there are three possible outcomes once the dating process begins. One, the partners find out that they are incompatible for one reason or another and they break up. Two, they continue on with their lives while continuing this ritual until death do them part whether it be an early death or a late one. Or three, well… I'm sure you know what the third outcome is."

"They get married and make their relationship official." Marinette said for Hawkmoth, causing the demon to nod. Marinette began scowling, getting an uneasy feeling as to where the conversation was heading. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Simple. You began dating my son, or rather, a version of him. To me, that means that you had intent to spend your life with him. Or at least, I hope that was your intent. Tell me, was that your intent or were you just dating him so that others may not take him away from you without thinking of the long term consequences?"

"No! It wasn't like that!" Marinette protested. "I dated Adrien because I love him!"

"I'm not denying that you held affection for my son. My question was: Once you two started dating, did you even consider the prospect of marriage with him or did you not think that far ahead?"

Marinette began looking down at the ground, feeling slightly embarrassed by the question. Her face was red, and getting redder the more she thought about answering the question. "I umm… I did. I even thought about having kids with him. Three of them. Their names would've been Louis, Hugo, and Emma."

"I see. So you even went as far as considering starting up a family with him. Most intriguing…" Hawkmoth rested his chin on his hands and thought deeply about Marinette's answer while she collected herself. "Tell me, how do you feel about… 'Adrien' now that you know he is Chat Noir?"

Marinette flinched. She had hoped that the topic wouldn't be brought up during their conversation. She still couldn't believe that the handsome young man that she fell in love with was the same cat-like demon that hangs out in her room and watches anime. She was hoping she could figure out her feelings for Adrien… for Chat… later on. But it seemed like now was the time to do it and she was running low on time to figure it out as well.

"Is… Is Adrien really Chat Noir?" Marinette asked, wanting to confirm her thoughts before making any final decisions.

Hawkmoth nodded at her. "It is indeed."

"I see…"

"You sound disappointed. Why is that?"

Marinette shook her head. "No, I'm not disappointed. I'm just… confused… and a little bit hurt. After all this time… I just don't even understand what gave him the idea to do something like this."

"He wanted to win your heart." Marinette looked up at Hawkmoth who nodded at her. "I have been monitoring your time with Chat Noir, especially at the beginning. To him, it didn't seem like you were interested in him so he donned a new persona to make another first impression on you and try and win your heart. Which succeeded."

"So Adrien… is a fake?"

Hawkmoth began scowling. He turned and looked outside the shadow-covered window, contemplating a decision. To him, it was a matter of pride whether or not he revealed it to Marinette. He could easily keep his mouth shut and change the topic, but there was a thought deep in his mind that helped him make his final decision.

"I have never been a fan of his 'Adrien' persona, and I try and deny it as much as I can but no… Adrien is not a fake."

Marinette tilted her head in confusion. "Could you explain what you mean please?"

"You see, Adrien is Chat Noir's real name. Chat Noir is the demonic name he gave himself when I took him under my wing. His human appearance resembles that of his time when he was still living with his mother. But the way he acts is not unlike him. It is how he acted when he was around her."

"So… all of the puns and flirting are-"

"Also him as well." Hawkmoth interrupted. "You see, I don't control my demons. I let them roam and act as they please. As long as they perform their duties and do not break any rules then I do not care what they do or how they act. When he was living in Hell, that's how he was. So you see, there is no 'fake'. However he acts, it's all him and his personality."

A small smiled formed on Marinette's face. Hearing that Chat Noir wasn't just tricking her was a relief to her. She felt a little more content with the revelation, like she had been given closure that she was needing.

"Which brings us back to my original question." Hawkmoth continued, capturing Marinette's attention once more. "I've noticed in our conversation that you hold different affections for my son. Previously you said that he was your 'quirky best friend' but just moments ago you said that you loved him and wanted to start a family with him. So I ask, now that you know the truth, which of those holds true? Will Adrien become just a best friend to you now or do you also wish to start a family with Chat Noir?"

The question was a hard one for Marinette. She still needed time to think about it. To her, it felt like that what Hawkmoth was asking was if she loved Chat Noir romantically, like how she loved Adrien. She knew now that they were the same person but she didn't know if her feelings have changed or not. She didn't know what to say or how she felt, and the pressure of the time limit with the egg timer was only making matters worse.

"You are the only thing that is keeping Chat Noir tied to the mortal realm Ms. Dupain-Cheng. You know he loves you. If you do not believe you hold the same affections for him as he does you then it would be wise to set him free."


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59**

" _You are the only thing that is keeping Chat Noir tied to the mortal realm Ms. Dupain-Cheng... If you do not believe you hold the same affections for him as he does you then it would be wise to set him free._ "

Marinette dwelled on Hawkmoth's words, feeling distressed and pressured into making a decision. She didn't know what to tell him as of yet. She needed time to figure out how she felt about Chat Noir, but time was the one resource that she was short of at the moment.

Suddenly, a couple of images flashed in her mind which made her feel a sense of relief. It was something she could use against Hawkmoth. It was something she was hoping would get her out of the bind she was in.

"You're wrong!" Marinette spoke up, catching Hawkmoth off guard by her sudden burst of confidence. "You say I'm the only one keeping Chat here but that's not true! He's made friends during his time here! Nino Lahiffe and Alya Cesaire! He's very close with both of them! As well, a lot of our other classmates have befriended him also! Jukela, Rose, Max, even… as much as I hate to say it… Chloe! He's made bonds with them so they're keeping him here too!"

"Hmm… yes I have considered these mortals before." Hawkmoth said, taking a sip of tea from cup, being nearly finished with his drink. "Although, consider this: If I were to take your soul, do you not believe Chat would toss away those bonds and dedicate his immortal life to trying to retrieve your soul through any means necessary?"

Marinette sat in silence, thinking deeply about Hawkmoth's scenario.

"Of course, he would use those bonds to try and aid him in that quest. But would he seriously return to his cushy life as Adrien Agreste without you in it?"

Marinette began to scowl. The more Hawkmoth talked, the more she was sure that her thoughts her true. They both knew Chat Noir; it would be something that he would do and without a second thought. There was a high likelihood that even if Marinette discouraged it, he would still do it anyways.

Suddenly, a loud ringing noise began filling the room, capturing both of their attention. Marinette's eyes went wide with surprise when she realized what it meant, while Hawkmoth just smirked triumphantly. He finished off the last bit of his tea and stood up. "It seems our time is up Ms. Dupain-Cheng. It was a valiant effort and I applaud your persistence but it appears as if your soul is mine for the taking."

Marinette began to clench her fists from frustration. She couldn't believe it, she failed. The conversation with Hawkmoth may have derailed a little bit than what she was expecting but she thought she changed his mind, even a little bit about her and Chat Noir.

"Did… Did I really not change your mind about us? Not even a little?" Marinette asked, trying to hold back her frustrations.

Hawkmoth chuckled and approached Marinette. He looked down at her, having a fire burning in his eyes. "No my dear. If it's any comfort, I'll tell you the truth. Your whole basis was to separate yourself from his mother in my mind. It was evident from the beginning. You could say I was taking some of my frustrations out on you because you reminded me of her but that was it. At first, it was just business for your soul. Then it became a challenge, where I considered your soul as a trophy. And I still believe that to be true. If you were to go against your word and fight against me, I would still see you as a challenge with your soul as a trophy."

"And Chat Noir…?"

"I still wish for him to return to his line of work. He is now the second most capable amongst my demons but he is still a valuable asset to me."

"You know," Marinette spoke up, trying to take her mind off of the reality she was now in. "I really wish you didn't consider your demons assets. They're living beings too! You did that with Felix, and you're doing that with Chat Noir. He's your son for heaven's sake! You're his father so act like it instead of his boss!"

Hawkmoth smirked. He summoned his cane into his hands and held it up against Marinette's throat. "Those were quite the interesting choice of last words Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette gulped and glared at Hawkmoth. She was completely at his mercy by this point. There was nothing more she wanted to do more than to grab the cane out of Hawkmoth's hands and beat him over the head with it. However, she made a deal with him and as much as it pained her to do so, she wanted to honour that agreement. If Marinette could choose, she wanted her final moments to be honourable ones with a clear conscious. Perhaps Hawkmoth would go easy on her if she didn't resist.

Marinette stood and waited for the inevitable, keeping her gaze fixated on the blade. Each moment felt like an eternity, her anxiety running wild as she anticipated his strike. When she felt she couldn't take it anymore she looked up at him and said, "Aren't you going to do it?"

Hawkmoth's hand began trembling, much to her surprise. He slowly lowered the blade and retracted his hand, while answering "No."

"Not that I'm ungrateful," Marinette spoke as she took a few steps away from Hawkmoth. "But why can't you do it?"

"Because your soul is not mine to take."

"Excuse me?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Hawkmoth looked down the table and took a seat once again. Marinette waited for a moment to examine Hawkmoth's actions and did the same herself when she felt it was safe for her to do so.

"I have every right to take your soul for myself Ms. Dupain-Cheng. After all, we made a deal." Hawkmoth began to speak, which made Marinette shiver from how eerie he spoke his words. "However, after our chat, I feel that it would be best for both parties if a new deal were to be struck."

Marinette raised her eyebrow once more curiously. "Why are you doing this?"

"Simple." Hawkmoth stated. "As I mentioned, it will benefit both parties greater in the long run if this deal were to be struck. I also wish to witness something for myself that I cannot see if I were to claim your soul. As well... as much as it grieves me to admit it, the chat I had with you has been rather... enlightening, and pleasant. I feel I owe you for the kindness you've shown me over this past hour."

A small smile formed on Marinette's face. It warmed her heart to see that she made such an impact on him. "I was just showing you the same respect I would show anyone under those conditions."

"Which is something I appreciate." Hawkmoth took a deep breath in and exhaled, preparing himself for what he was about to say next. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, there is nothing I would like more than for my son to return to his line of work. However, I also wish to not see him hurt by either you or me. This is why I make this proposal to you. I will allow you to keep your soul but in exchange, I wish for you to do one of two things for me."

Marinette began to tense up slightly, the thought of what those conditions could be frightening her. "And what would those be, dare I ask?"

"This pertains to our topic from earlier. If you can only see Chat Noir as that 'quirky best friend' as you described, then I wish for him to return to his line of work effective immediately. I will allow him to return to the human realm as Adrien as he pleases to see you or his other friends, but only if he performs his job admirably. Any slacking and I will revoke that right, or 'ground' him as you humans state it. I wish for you to relay this wish of mine to him and encourage him to follow through on it but this is only if you see him as nothing more than a friend."

Marinette scowled. She didn't like what he was saying but she could respect it. After all, it was a fair condition and it seemed like Hawkmoth was wanting to be a parent to his son. Perhaps her words did get through to him after all. It made her feel uneasy though that it was reliant on how she felt about him however.

"And what if I see him as more than a best friend?" she asked.

"Then I want you to prove to me your devotion to my son." Hawkmoth snapped his fingers, which caused a little black box to appear in his hands. He approached closer to Marinette and opened up the box, revealing a diamond ring inside. "I want you to marry him."


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60**

" _So you see now Chat Noir, there is no helping me._ " Volpina continued to speak from the shadows. " _In fact, an eternal life as a demon doesn't sound too bad._ "

"Lila… listen…" Chat said as he wandered throughout the darkness, trying to find an exit. "What happened was unfortunate, I can sympathize with you. And Marinette didn't make your life any better… but life as a demon isn't any better! Especially when you're working for my Father!"

" _It's sooo easy for you to say, isn't it Chat Noir?_ "

The area around Chat began to change once again. This time, it was a completely different environment. It was completely split in half; one of the halves looked like Paris and the other half looked like Hell. Illusions began to form inside each of the areas. Inside of the Paris half there was an illusion of Adrien being surrounded by multiple women with a big smile on his face. Inside of the Hell half was Chat Noir, with demons grovelling at his feet.

Chat narrowed his eyes at the sight. "What is this?"

" _This is your life Chat Noir. You've always had things so cushy no matter who you are! In the human realm you were revered and loved as a model! Idolized by thousands, if not millions! All they see is this perfect teenager who could do no harm! And then in Hell, you are next in line to be the supreme ruler! All the demons fear you and will bend to your every whim! No matter what you do, your life will be such smooth sailing!_ "

Chat's hands began to curl into fists as his rage grew. The sights he was beholding and the words that Volpina spoke made him see nothing but red. "You're wrong! It's not as easy as you may think!"

" _Oh boo hoo! Let me see here, your mother died and your Dad took you in. Tragic, but at least he was nice enough to take you in! You could've just been an orphan on the streets or wound up with an even worse family! All he wanted from you was to follow your calling as a demon!_ "

Chat gritted his teeth and growled. "He did much more than just that."

" _Oh so he pushed you. Big deal!_ "

"HE TRIED TO TURN ME INTO SOMETHING I WASN'T!"

" _Newsflash Chat Noir, you ARE a demon. Although, you are much more than just that._ " At that moment, the area around Chat began to tremble as it began to change. It appeared as if Paris and Hell were being squished together. When everything settled, there was but one illusion standing before Chat Noir: himself. Both of his appearances merged into one. " _You are a special case Chat Noir. You can walk on both worlds with ease but not all of us have that luxury, like me. You say you want to 'save me' but my mind is made up. You don't like others telling you how to live your life so don't you do the same to me!_ "

"This isn't right!" Chat Noir yelled out. "This is my Father's brainwashing talking Lila! Don't listen to it!"

" _Oh trust me; my mind is more than clear. I don't mind serving your father for all of eternity if it means that girl burns for all of eternity also! That's the whole reason why I made a deal with him in the first place!_ "

"Don't you dare lay a hand on Marinette!"

" _I don't need to. Haven't you realized yet why I've encased you in this prison, showing you all of this stuff and rambling on like there's no tomorrow?_ "

Chat Noir's eyes went wide. "Oh no."

" _Oh yes. By now your father probably has her soul in his clutches. I'm just trying to wear you down so I can drag you back to Hell with me!_ "

Chat Noir's hands began glowing with a dark aura once more. Without hesitation, he leaped at the merged illusion that was in front of him and took a swipe at it, causing it to fade. He began jumping mercilessly at the darkness, not caring about what he was attacking. He needed to get out one way or another, even if he had to make an exit himself.

" _You know what I'm going to enjoy the most about being a demon? Being able to hear her screams of agony whenever I want. Day after day, minute after minute. It'll be music to my ears._ " Volpina taunted.

"WHY GO AFTER MARINETTE?!" Chat roared in anger as he continued to slash at the darkness. "WHY NOT THE GIRLS IN ITALY THAT MADE YOU THIS WAY!"

Volpina's laughs echoed all around Chat. " _Oh how precious. You'd rather sacrifice three lives just to save your precious little Marinette. Cute. But don't worry, they'll be looked after soon enough. But right now, my heart burns with hate for Marinette so she suffers first!_ "

Chat roared again and became more frantic with his attacks. Swipe after swipe, hoping that each attack would hit something that would release him from his prison. He paused momentarily, feeling exhausted from his rampage. He knew he wasn't getting anywhere. He had to think more rationally about his situation, which was becoming increasing difficult thanks to her taunting.

" _You're a liar too Chat Noir! One of the worst ones there is! You think that once you escape you can go back to your lies? Face it! You've been exposed! You hope for romance to bloom with that girl but it won't! She hates you now and it's all because you lied!_ "

Chat clenched his fists, his claws digging deep into the palm of his leather-clad hand. He needed to focus, he needed to drown out Volpina's lies and taunts but it was proving to be a difficult task. The more he heard, the more his rage flared up. He had to control it, he had to try. Not only for his sake, but also for Marinette's.

He looked down at his feet and realized that he wasn't standing on grass. He thought for a moment and realized that it had been like this all this time. He cursed himself for not figuring it out sooner but he didn't want to waste time beating himself up over it.

With his claw still cloaked in the dark energy, he slashed at the ground as hard as he could. All it left were scratch marks against the hard surface but the energy spread onto it and quickly dispersed amongst the area. It was hard for Chat to see, but he could sense that the entire prison was being covered by his dark energy. He started hearing what sounded like light crumbling, coming from a couple of small areas around him. Suddenly, the whole prison crumbled away and disappeared into nothingness.

Chat looked around and found himself back outside, with Volpina standing in front of him with her flute in hand. She smirked at him. "Took you long enough."

Chat panted, the attack taking a lot out of him. But he still had the will to fight on, considering Marinette was still in danger. "I won't waste any more time then. I have someone waiting for me."

"Let's dance then kitty cat!" Volpina said, then began blowing into her flute. Chat began dashing at Volpina, his gaze fixated on her and his senses sharp for whatever illusion was going to come his way next.

He leapt up into the air and was about to slash down on her, but he got pushed back by an unknown force and caused him to crash into the park's fountain. He was dazed momentarily but he quickly snapped to his senses and checked back at Volpina. He saw a swarm of butterfly shadows forming beside her, and that could only mean one thing.

"Father!" Chat cried out as his dad stepped out from the shadows.

"The girl has been looked after." Hawkmoth spoke, ignoring his son. "We may take our leave now."

"All I need is one more moment and Chat Noir will fall as well." Volpina said with a smirk.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER!" Chat cried out again but once again, he was ignored by the other two demons.

"Leave him. He is still of use while remaining here."

"But I already have a spell-"

"I said now Volpina!"

Volpina grumbled then glared at Chat. "Very well. As you wish Hawkmoth."

"Marinette…" Chat whispered to himself. He began dashing at Volpina and Hawkmoth, trying to prevent their leave. However, a swarm of shadows consumed them both and transported them back to their home realm before Chat could even reach them. Chat let out a frustrated roar before pounding his fist against the ground, frustrated that he couldn't get to them in time.

He raised his hand, about to snap his fingers and not waste any time wallowing in misery so that he could check in on Marinette. He was worried sick about her, and terrified that her soul had already been claimed. He needed to make sure he was safe, but before he was able to snap, he heard a soft and reassuring voice call out to him. "Chat!"

Chat perked up and turned around. There, he saw Marinette standing at the other end of the park, with a wide and bright smile on his face. He could feel tears well up in his eyes just from the sight of her. She was safe and sound, which was exactly what he wanted.

"PRINCESS!" Chat cried out happily. He began running at Marinette, with his arms stretched out wide. She did the same until the two of them met in the middle, where they embraced each other with a warm and tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe Princess." Chat spoke as the tears dripped down from his eyes. "I was so worried about you. I'm sorry for everything that happened."

"I'm alright Chat. Thank you for protecting me." Marinette replied, tightening her grasp on him. "Chat… I hate to ask, but there's something that I need you to do for me."

"Anything. Just ask."

A devilish grin spread across Marinette's face. "Go back to Hell you demon!"

At that moment, dark shadows appeared underneath of Chat's feet. Before he could react, a bunch of hands appeared from the shadows and began grasping at Chat's legs, pulling him down into their dark depths. He tried to fight against it any way he could but he was powerless against it. He couldn't help but watch as he was being forcibly dragged back to Hell through the dark portal, with Marinette watching from above.

She smiled at him one last time before fading away, just like an illusion.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

Marinette filled her hands with cold water from her sink and proceeded to splash her face with it. The chilling sensation was enough for her to calm herself. Everything about the day just felt so surreal to her. For a while, she thought she was dreaming and that she'd wake up soon enough but the feeling of cold water that was dripping from her face told her that it wasn't the case.

She picked up the hand towel and wiped off her face. She let out a sigh and looked at the little black box beside her, the very one that contained the diamond ring that Hawkmoth gave her. He gave her 48 hours to decide what she wanted to do with Chat Noir, whether she tells him to go back to his line of work or to marry him.

She still didn't know how she felt about Chat Noir. She needed time and to talk things through with him before she knew how she felt but the stress and pressure of a deadline didn't help things any. At least it was a longer time than before.

The thing was though, even if she did still love Chat Noir, could she marry him? It was a huge step in their relationship, and it was a lot sooner than what she pictured in her mind with Adrien. She didn't think she would get married until they both got their degrees. Then, on one night when the both of them are celebrating acquiring their new jobs, Adrien would pop the question which she would happily say yes to. But now, she had to be the one in control of the proposal, if she even wanted to propose to him in the first place. It was just too much all at once for her.

"Honey! We're home!" Marinette's father announced as he swung open the door.

"Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" Marinette greeted happily, pushing away all her stress momentarily.

"How was school honey?" Sabine asked as she put the grocery bags on the table.

"It was umm… interesting." Marinette responded, sidestepping so that the ring box would be out of their line of sight.

"Every day's interesting when you learn something new!" Tom joked.

"You're not wrong!" Marinette laughed, trying to humour her father. She slipped the box into her pocket and sat down at the table, trying not to look suspicious. As her parents stored the food away her mind begin to drift back to her predicament.

Her mother sensed that something was up with Marinette and grew concerned. "Marinette, is everything alright?"

"Me? Oh yeah, everything's fine!" Marinette tried to wave way the problem but how frantic she was acting only made both of her parents concerned now.

"You know you can talk to us about anything, right kiddo?" her Dad said as he took a seat across from Marinette.

"Oh yes! Of course! It's just…" Marinette began thinking about whether to come clean to her parents or not about Chat Noir and everything she got herself involved in. The more she thought about it, the more of a bad idea it seemed. However, she was in need of guidance and she felt like her parents could at least help steer her in the right direction. "I'm just having doubts about my relationship with Adrien is all…"

"Oh?" the two said in sync.

"I think I still love him but I'm unsure."

"Did he do anything to hurt you dear?" Tom asked while raising an eyebrow at Marinette.

"No, no! Not at all This is all me, I swear!"

Her parents shared a concerned look with each other but chose to believe her for the time being. "Okay sweetie. Tell us, what's giving you these doubts?"

Marinette gulped. She had to try and dance around the real reason why she was having her doubts while making sure that however her parents would answer her would still be relevant to her predicament. "I don't know… it's just… someone told me something that made me think about our relationship and I just don't know how to feel after it."

Her parents shared another concerned look and nodded with each other. Her Dad changed seats so that he was closer to Marinette and placed his hands on top of hers for comfort. "Honey, would it help if we told you how we got together?"

Marinette nodded happily. "It might! I'd love to hear either way!"

"You see," Sabine started. "My parents and I immigrated here to Paris when I was very young. I didn't know very much French. When I enrolled in school, it was hard for me to keep up. The other students thought I wasn't the brightest student and they made fun of me for it."

"I saw the way your mother was being treated so one day during lunch I asked if I could sit with her. She was pretty shy but she nodded."

"Your father was such a dork. I didn't understand much what he was talking about and I don't think he understood me either, but the gestures he was making made me laugh."

"Laughter is a universal language after all!" Tom joked, which caused Sabine to giggle.

"As time went on, I started understanding French better. Part of that was actually thanks to Tom. There were times where he'd help me learn after school. Like my own private tutor."

"And all I asked for was just a smile!" Tom joked once again, but this time caused Sabine to blush. Marinette went "awe", thinking that it was a cute and romantic gesture also.

"Your father and I became best friends from that point on. We were inseparable! That was… until we graduated. My parents wanted to move back to Shanghai and they wanted me to go with them."

"Your mother told me this so that night I took her out on a moonlit picnic. I'd be lying if I said that it was just because I wanted to give her a special night before she left but I had an ulterior motive in mind."

Sabine sat down next to Tom and wrapped her arm around his, smiling. "That night, he confessed his love to me."

"Aweee!" Marinette repeated, trying to hold back squeels.

"I actually had a crush on your mother for quite a while. I didn't want to say anything but being beside her that night under the moonlight… it felt like the right time."

Tom and Sabine stared lovingly into each other's eyes for a moment. Marinette shielded her eyes to give them privacy. When she thought they had enough lovey dovey time she asked, "How come you didn't want to tell her?"

"Well, I felt that if I told her that she'd feel obligated to stay in Paris because of me. I didn't want to seem like I was holding her back."

"He mentioned that as well but I told him that if I stayed that it was entirely my decision. Which I did. I told him that I loved him as well and wanted to stay in Paris. I wanted to live my own life away from my parents and I wanted him to be a part of it as well if he wanted to be. We both got our degrees and we followed your father's dream of opening up a bakery right here in Paris."

"At the day of the Grand Opening, I proposed to your mother. She of course said and yes and well, I'm sure you know what all happened after that."

Sabine nodded happily and rested her head on Tom's arm. "The way everything happened felt like something straight out of a storybook. I married my best friend and I couldn't be happier about it."

"Married my best friend…" Marinette repeated.

Tom nodded at Marinette. "We believe that the person anyone should marry should be their best friend. It makes for a happier and much healthier relationship that way. Your mother is my best friend Marinette!"

"And your father is mine!" Sabine added.

Marinette thought deeply about her parents' words, taking them straight to heart. Suddenly, she felt like she had her answer and like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She sprung up and declared "I KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO!"

"Glad we could help!" Tom said, smiling at his daughter.

"Thank you both for your help!" Marinette leaned in and gave each of her parents a kiss on their cheek before running to the door. She grabbed what she needed and was about to run outside but a thought occurred to her. She turned back and looked at her parents, smiling at them. "Mom, Dad, I love you."

"We love you too!"

With yet another weight off of her shoulders, Marinette raced out of her house and throughout Paris. She needed to tell Chat Noir how she felt about him right away. She was intending on heading to the park but she wasn't sure if he was still there fighting Volpina or not. It was a good place to start at the very least.

She ran and ran as fast as she could, not wasting any time. However, her trek came to a sudden stop when she heard the honks of a loud horn. Before she could react, everything quickly turned black.

" _So, here we are again Princess._ "


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62**

Fire. Brimstone. The screams of the damned. Everything was sights and sounds that Chat was familiar with but none of which that he wanted to see or hear.

Standing before him were the last two demons that he wanted to see; Volpina and Hawkmoth.

He lowered his body and prepared a defensive stance, reading himself for a fight. He had the strongest feeling that if he wanted to return back to the human realm and see Marinette that he'd have to fight his way out. That is, however, if Marinette was still alive.

"At ease son." Hawkmoth stated, raising his hand up. "We do not wish to fight."

"Why should I believe you!" Chat barked.

"Your presence here is unwarranted and unexpected. It was a faux pas on Volpina's part." Hawkmoth turned and glared at the orange-clad demon who glared at him back.

"I tried telling you I had a spell already in motion!"

"You should have disabled it!" Hawkmoth yelled, causing fire to flare up behind him and causing Volpina to cower. "If I didn't still have a use for you I would tear your existence apart right this second for your blunder!"

Hawkmoth let out a sigh and clicked his fingers, which caused a black and red demonic looking throne to appear behind him. He sat down in his summoned seat and turned his attention back to Chat Noir. "Do you believe me now son?"

Chat took a quick glance at Volpina, then back to Hawkmoth. He relaxed his body and stood back upright. "I believe you, at least about this. But I want to know what happened to Marinette! Where is she! I swear if you did anything to her-"

"Chat Noir," Hawkmoth spoke, cutting Chat's words off. "While your presence here is unwarranted, there is a matter I wish to discuss with you."

"I don't care! Where is Marinette!"

"I will reveal the girl's location but only after our discussion. You're free to leave but I can guarantee you, you won't be able to find her in time. What will it be Chat Noir?"

Chat narrowed his eyes at Hawkmoth. On the one hand, he needed to find Marinette and whatever information his father possessed would be helpful to him. But on the other hand, if she was in danger then he needed every second he could get. Especially with everything that happened just before. He had to admit though, he was curious as to what his father had to say.

"Make it fast." Chat answered.

"Very well." Hawkmoth began patting the right armrest of his throne, to which Volpina trotted over to and sat down on. "Chat Noir, you're fired."

Chat was dumbfounded, being taken off guard by Hawkmoth's words. His mind tried to process them but it still didn't make any sense to him. "I'm… fired?"

Hawkmoth nodded. "You are correct. You have been a thorn in my side for far too long. You have disrupted this realm's work, been disobedient and defiant, and proven incapable to perform the simplest deed. So I must cut you loose. Volpina here is your replacement and will be a much more valuable asset than you could ever be. With some training of course."

Volpina sneered at Chat, wanting to rub her victory in his face but it was lost on Chat. He was still completely at a loss for words and still didn't understand completely.

"You are no longer of use to me. You are dismissed from your duties forever Chat Noir." Hawkmoth spoke once again, waving his hand away at Chat.

It took a moment, longer than Chat would've liked to admit, but he finally processed the reality of the situation. However, that also meant that Chat knew what was about to happen. He lowered his body and tensed up, preparing himself for the biggest fight of his life. "I know what happens when someone doesn't become of use to you father! I won't go down so easily!"

Hawkmoth groaned and shook his head. "I swear, having a kid is more trouble than what it's worth."

Hawkmoth stood up from his throne and began walking towards Chat. He snapped his fingers which caused the throne to disappear, which in turn also caused Volpina to fall down flat on her butt. "You misunderstand me son. I am not going to dispose of you like the others. I have made other arrangements for you."

"Other arrangements?" Chat asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at his father.

Hawkmoth stopped just short in front of Chat and stamped his cane down. He looked down at his son and smirked. "I do not wish to ruin the surprise for you Chat Noir. However, if you wish to spend your existence with Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I will not stop you and leave you be. You have my word."

Chat eyed his father carefully, not believing his words for even a second. He stared into Hawkmoth's eyes and somehow, he began to feel at ease. They weren't the cold, fiery eyes that he usually sees. No, they were calm and soft. Chat could swear too that he sensed a little bit of pain in them.

"You're serious?" Chat asked, standing back upright.

Hawkmoth nodded in response.

A well of emotions began to fill Chat up inside. Most prominently though, he felt relieved and over the moon with happiness. He leaped at his father and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you Dad! You don't know how much this means to me!"

Hawkmoth was taken off guard for a moment but he quickly returned the embrace while Volpina made gagging sounds in the background. "You are most very welcome son."

The father and son stayed like that for a moment in silence, enjoying the time that they were spending together. Hawkmoth was the one that broke the silence first, saying to Chat, "Son, I want to ask for your forgiveness for the way I've treated you. I took my frustrations about your mother and humans out on you. You didn't deserve that, you deserve better. You deserve a better life than being a pawn in my business. I hope that this makes up for everything."

"I'm sorry too Dad. I know I've been difficult and treating you like a villain but deep down… you're actually a really cool guy. Thank you for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go. Despite all of our fighting and disagreements, I do appreciate everything you've done for me. After all, if it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have met Marinette."

"Promise me you'll be happy with her son…" Hawkmoth began tightening his grasp on Chat. "And promise me you'll come to visit."

"I promise Dad, you don't need to worry."

A tear began to form in Hawkmoth's eye as a smile grew across his face. "Thank you son. That's all I'll ask of you from now on. Take care."

After a few more caring moments between each other, the two broke off from the embrace. Hawkmoth snapped his fingers and caused a portal to appear behind Chat. "Go to her son. She's at the Crossroads waiting for you."

"The Crossroads?!" Chat's eyes widened in shock. "Why is she there?!"

"There was an unfortunate accident that happened just moments ago. I promise you it wasn't by my hand. I would explain but there's no time. Go to her, while you still can."

Chat nodded and jumped through the portal, waving back at his Dad. Soon enough, the portal disappeared which meant that Chat Noir was gone for good.

Hawkmoth let out a sigh and snapped his fingers once more, causing his throne to reappear once more. He took his seat and rested his head on his fist, debating on what to do next.

"You're just going to let him go? Just like that?" Volpina asked as she sat on the arm rest. "Letting him live in that disgusting realm with that wretched girl?"

Hawkmoth shook his head. "No. I know what's going to happen Volpina. He's not going to the human realm. Neither of them are."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry that this is like way later than when I usually post ^^; I've been quite swamped with IRL stuff as of late ^^;  
As well, the next few chapters may take a while before they're posted ^^; We're nearing the final chapters and I want to make sure to deliver a satisfying end for y'all~ I'll still try and aim to update when I usually do but I might need some extra time to make sure that they're perfect ^^; Sorry if it poses as an inconvenience ^^;


	63. Chapter 63

**Author's Note:** Hey there everyone~ Sorry that this is a week late ^^; I really didn't intend for things to take this long XD;; Things have been crazy busy for me XD But in a good way though~ Author-chan's in a relationship now~ I couldn't be any happier too :D So that's been taking up a good chunk of my time XD  
Anywhoo~ The last few chapters have been written so there won't be any more delays :3 Hopefully this was worth the wait :D

* * *

 **Chapter 63**

Darkness blanketed the entire area, rendering Marinette unable to see a thing. This was a darkness that she was familiar with, she knew she had been here once before. She looked around and finally managed to pinpoint who she was looking for. Across from her, sitting on his metallic baton surrounded by a source of light, was none other than the demon Chat Noir.

"Chat!" Marinette called out happily. She raced over to Chat as fast as she could. Chat, meanwhile, jumped off of his baton and spread his arms out wide, waiting to give Marinette a welcoming embrace. She leapt into his arms and the two of them spun around while laughing, being elated to see each other.

"It's so good to see you princess! I was so worried for you!"

Marinette softly patted his back as she said to him, "No need to worry Chat. I've finally found you. Everything's fine."

Chat's body began to shake uncontrollably which worried Marinette. She could feel warm tears dripping down her back. She clutched Chat tighter, hoping that she was providing comfort for him. "No, it's not. I failed you Marinette… I wasn't able to protect you like I promised. Because of me you're… you're…"

"It's alright Chat. I will admit, this is a shock to me too." Marinette looked down at the ground, a small frown forming on her face unintentionally. "I was on my way to the park to see if you were there. But something must have happened… I'm not sure what…"

Chat pulled away and clicked his fingers, causing the darkness to disappear and be replaced with a scene that looked like the streets of Paris. In the middle of the road was Marinette running and there was a truck that was just inches away from her body. The two of them didn't want the clip to play, they both knew exactly what it meant.

"After all that time protecting you from my father, to think you'd be done in by a truck." Chat commented, unable to believe the sight.

"It's rather poetic if you think about it. This is how I met you in the first place after all."

The two of them stood in silence, looking at the fake Marinette. There was so much the two wanted to say to each other, but neither one knew exactly how to start to conversation off. Guilt was eating away at Chat while nervousness took hold of Marinette.

The scene faded away and the two were back in darkness once more. Chat realized that he was on borrowed time at the moment and decided to start things off. "You're surprisingly calm about this Marinette. The first time you were here, you were rather confused and panicked a bit about your fate."

"It's like you said Chat, I've been through this once before. I'm… I'm sure I can make it out of this again."

Chat shook his head. "I'm sorry Princess but it won't be like that this time. The crash was worse than before. I'm afraid your body took too much damage. There's no hope for you."

"Oh… I see." Marinette began clutching her purse, the nervousness starting to evolve into anxiety. "There's… nothing you can do?"

Chat began clenching his fists together, his body trembling from stress. "I'm… I'm sorry Princess. You know I'd do anything to save you but I'd be too late. The damage is too severe. Even if I was to pull off a miracle, the body and soul need to be unified. I can't take you out of the Crossroads unless your body is healed. The angels would have come for you before then."

"I see…" Marinette looked down at her feet, shuffling them for a moment while she tried to absorb everything. It was still hard for her to accept that she was now dead for good but this was what her fate was now. "I guess this is for the best… I should have died a long time ago back when I first met you. I should be grateful that I got some extra time to spend with my friends and family."

"What about me?" Chat asked.

Marinette looked over to Chat and saw that he had a sad but concerned look on his face. She couldn't help but smirk, being slightly unable to believe that he was asking such a question. "Of course Chat. Our time together has been… interesting but I have cherished it."

"Yeah but… I was lying to you almost half of the time." Chat began biting his lower lip, unsure if he should continue or not.

Marinette, meanwhile, scowled. "I'll be honest with you Chat, I was pretty confused when I found out. I also felt hurt a little bit but… you had your reasons and I can forgive you. You've done so much for me that it's the least I could do!"

"You really are amazing, you know that Princess?" Chat said, feeling touched by Marinette's words. "I don't deserve someone like you."

"If that's the case, I don't deserve anyone like you." Marinette retorted, her smile widening. "You're the most loyal person I've ever seen and you're a lot of fun to be around. I don't know what I did that made you become so attached to me but… I'm glad I have you in my life Chat."

"Princess…" Chat said, turning over to face Marinette. The two of them looked into the other's eyes and their minds began to drift. They started to inch closer to each other, longing for the other. Chat placed a hand on Marinette's face and leaned down but suddenly stopped when a thought crossed his mind. He pulled himself away and looked to his other side, starting to feel ashamed. "S-sorry Princess."

"What for?"

"I… just… you… Adrien… I'm sure you have complicated feelings about me now and I don't want to take advantage of you, despite how I feel."

"Chat…" Marinette stepped towards Chat and took his hand. "Adrien… I'm not sure which you prefer now that I know."

Chat shrugged his shoulders slightly and gave Marinette an awkward smile. "I'm not sure either by this point."

"Well, I met you as Chat, so let's go with that." Marinette held Chat's hands up and pressed her chest against them. "At first I was confused as to how I felt, I really was. It felt like I had been around two different people this entire time even though it was just the one. But… I had a talk with your father and my parents and they both made me realize something."

"What's that?" Chat asked nervously.

"You're my best friend Chat Noir. And it doesn't matter whether you're in your demon form or," Marinette reached up and slowly but carefully peeled Chat's mask off, having his face now fully visible to her. "Whether you're in your human form. You're still you. I accept you for who you are."

"That… that means a lot to me Marinette. It really does."

Marinette placed her hand on Chat's cheek and looked deep into his eyes. "There's something else they helped me to realize too. When I picture my future, I always picture that my partner and I are close, like we're best friends. And to be honest Chat, I've come to realize that I can't picture my future without you in it."

Chat's face began to turn red, heating up with blush. He knew exactly what Marinette was saying but he needed to hear what she meant for himself. "So what are you saying Princess?"

Marinette let go of Chat's hands momentarily and dug into her purse. She pulled out a small black box from it and presented to Chat, opening it to reveal a diamond ring inside. Chat's eyes went wide, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I got this from your father when we had our talk. He wanted me to prove my devotion to you by marrying you but… I can't do that." Marinette closed the box and tossed it away, much to Chat's shock. While he was still processing the situation, she took his hands once more and looked at him sweetly. "I don't want to marry you because your father is forcing us to. There's still a lot of learning we have to do about each other and I want to take things at our own pace. But… I do want us to be together Chat."

"R-really?" Chat stammered, still processing the reality that was in front of him. He swore, if it wasn't for Marinette's soft and warm touch that he knew all too well, that this was one of Volpina's illusions just to mess with him.

Marinette nodded happily. "Chat Noir, I would like to make a deal with you. I will sell you my soul but in exchange, I want us to be together forever!"


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64**

"Chat Noir, I would like to make a deal with you. I will sell you my soul but in exchange, I want us to be together forever!"

"Princess… Marinette… I… I don't know what to say." Chat said in disbelief.

"You don't have to say anything." Marinette said, smiling. "Let's just make the deal and we can take it one step at a time."

"No, I mean… I don't know how to put this… But… I can't accept your deal."

Marinette let go of Chat's hands and stood back, stunned by what Chat was saying. "Wh-what?"

"See… the thing about that is…" Chat began smiling awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck. "I may have gotten fired by my father so I can't make deals anymore. It's not that I don't want to accept but I physically cannot make that deal."

"Oh." Marinette blinked twice in confusion, unsure how to carry the conversation. She wasn't expecting a situation like this to occur. In fact, nothing about the day has gone the way she expected it to be. "So… what do we do now then?"

"I could maybe go get my Father and see if he can make the deal for us?"

" _Perhaps I can be of assistance._ " a voiced echoed through the darkness, catching them by surprise. They thought they were the only ones there at the Crossroads but that appeared to not be the case. The two of them looked around to find the source but couldn't see anyone else. Just as they were about to dismiss the voice, a blinding light appeared from above them, causing them to shield their eyes. When their vision adjusted, they saw a shadowy figure descending down. It appeared as if they were short in stature but had wings that were nearly twice the size of their body.

The figure finally landed and the light disappeared, only a small portion remaining to illuminate the area around the figure. Marinette and Chat examined them, noticing that they had a moustache and a goatee, while sporting a Hawaiian shirt and capri pants. Marinette immediately recognized who it was.  
"Master Fu!"

"It's been a while Marinette my dear." Master Fu said with a smile.

"You're the old man that Dad has been cursing about!" Chat said, pointing at him.

Master Fu nodded, looking like he was seemingly proud by the reputation he had been given. "Ah yes. I have been a thorn in Hawkmoth's side for quite some time now. Good to know he still remembers me!"

"Wait, so you're an angel?" Marinette asked, clueing into what Master Fu's appearance meant.

"You could say that I suppose." Master Fu replied, stroking his beard. "One could also say I'm a bit higher up than the angels. But don't worry your young heads off about the details."

Marinette and Chat both shared a confused look with each other, not understanding what Master Fu meant.

Chat quickly clued into what the appearance of what Master Fu's presence met and immediately got between him and Marinette, ready to fight if necessary. "Listen here angel; you're not taking Marinette away from me!"

"You misunderstand me young one. I'm merely here to pay back my debt to Marinette… and to apologize to you both as well."

"Apologize? For what?" Marinette asked.

"Well, you see, the two of you meeting was not an encounter by pure chance." Master Fu began chuckling a bit, confusing Marinette and Chat Noir even more. Then, almost as if it were a brick, the realization hit them when they thought back to when Marinette first "died".

"Wait, you killed her on purpose?!"

Master Fu nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid to say that was my doing. In fact, both of them were caused by my hand."

Chat began growling, ready to attack Master Fu for what he had done to Marinette. She noticed that Chat was on edge and placed her hand on his shoulder to soothe him, and in case she needed to grasp onto him if he went to attack the angel. She turned back to Master Fu and glared at him. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Master Fu looked at Chat and smirked. "I did it for you my boy."

"What?" Chat asked, his confusion replacing his anger.

"You see, I was keeping a careful eye on Hawkmoth ever since the little 'mall' incident. I saw that he took you under his wing and trained you to become a demon. I can look into the hearts of many and see just how pure they are. I didn't want someone such as you to become corrupted by his business practices. I couldn't reach you while you still learning from him however. So, I waited until you were on your own then acted.

I could have come to you myself, but instead, I chose a route that I felt would've made you happier and would help make Hawkmoth more open to giving up his son. I found your soulmate and sent her to the Crossroads for you two to meet." Master Fu turned to Marinette and hung his head. "I apologize for doing this to you without asking you first, but I wanted the two of you to bond naturally."

"W-w-wait. S-s-soulmate?" Marinette stammered, the concept of her being Chat's soulmate flustering her greatly. "I'm h-his soulm-mate?"

Master Fu nodded and chuckled. "Why yes. You see, I am also quite the matchmaker."

"So you had all of this planned from the start?" Chat asked, continuing the conversation while Marinette collected herself.

Once again, Master Fu nodded in response to the question. "Yes I have. Everything up until this point has gone according to plan. The only thing that I did not account on was Hawkmoth's creation going rogue on his own, which is why I stepped in and provided aid when Marinette needed it."

"Wait… that's right!" Marinette said, becoming calmed down thanks to the realization. "You're the one that gave me the book that let me bargain with Hawkmoth to save the city!"

Master Fu stroked his beard again and smiled. "You are correct. That was all that was all of the intervention that was needed from me. I knew you could handle the rest on your own."

"Well… it was pretty painful for me for a while." Marinette responded, rubbing her arm in disdain.

"If anything truly life threatening would've happened, I would've intervened once again. You have my word that I would've stepped in to save you."

Once again, Marinette and Chat Noir shared another concerned look. They shrugged off his statement and continued back to the conversation.

"There's one thing I don't understand." Chat Noir began speaking. "I know you said my soul was pure and needed saving but… why go to such great lengths just for me?"

"Well," Master Fu said as he continued stroking his beard. "I was specially asked to help you by someone close to you."

"Who?"

At that moment another blinding light appeared from above the three. When they were able to see, Marinette and Chat Noir saw another angel descending down from the heavens. This time however, they looked different from Master Fu. They had a taller and more slender build, more feminine in shape. Once the light disappeared, they saw immediately who it was. Chat's jaw dropped open and tears began to form in his eyes, unable to believe the sight he was beholding. "MOM!"

"Hello Adrien." his mother greeted with a soft tone and a warm smile.

Chat wasted no time in racing over to his mother and began hugging her. He gripped her tightly and sobbed into her pure white robe. "Mom! Mom! It's really you! I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too Adrien." she said as she began stroking his head. "You've grown into a fine young man."

Marinette couldn't help smile at the scene. This was one of the happiest she's ever seen Chat. After the stories he told her of his mother, it was heartwarming for her to see them together again. She let them have their reunion for a while before she finally stepped up to introduce herself. "H-hi there Mrs. Agreste. I'm M-Marinette Dupain-Ch-Cheng. A f-friend of your son's. W-well… we're dating… kind of. We're still working things out as to how that's going to work b-but…"

Adrien's mother looked at Marinette and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Marinette. Thank you for looking after my son. You are a fine young lady yourself. I'm glad my son was able to meet you."

Master Fu cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Mrs. Agreste here came to me one day and asked me to help her son. She was quite convincing you see so I had no choice but to help out."

"That was really sweet of you!" Marinette commented.

"It was unfortunate that I was taken away from Adrien so prematurely, so I had to do something to make sure he had a good life. Even in death, all I want is the best for my son."

Everything grew silent once more, giving Chat Noir more time with his Mom. Marinette began to scowl, as a thought crossed her mind. She debated over bringing it up or not, but ultimately, she needed to know some answers and now was the time to do it. "I have a question! I talked with both Chat Noir and Hawkmoth and they both told me that you resented Chat's father. Why was that, even when he tried to help you when you were dying? And why didn't you resent Chat if you hated demons?"

Mrs. Agreste's soft expression suddenly dropped as she remembered back to the times when she was still alive. "I'm afraid that is my own fault. You see, after that initial night with his father, I thought that he 'took advantage' of me. I quickly resented him and blamed him for everything. But I didn't hate demons, just him in particular. Chat, while still a half-demon, was of my own flesh and blood. I couldn't hate him even if I wanted to. Even after I died I resent Hawkmoth. But, with some guidance from Master Fu here, I realized that the night I spent with him was of my own choice. I was not manipulated or coerced in any way. I made a mistake and I used him as a scapegoat to vent my anger out on instead of taking responsibility myself. It was wrong and unfair to him and there is nothing I would like more than to apologize to him.

But that is also why I asked Master Fu to help Adrien. Hawkmoth was raising him to hate humans and to deny his human side. I didn't want to see my son go down that path, neither of us did. That is why Master Fu devised that plan."

"It may have been a bit much." Master Fu spoke, as he stepped forward and took to the other angel's side. "But I work in mysterious ways and it all worked out for the best."

"Adrien, honey, you can let go now." Chat's mother spoke.

"Oh, right. S-sorry Mom. I'm j-just, so glad to see you."

"And I you my son. But there's someone else who needs you right now more than I do." She pointed at Marinette, who looked shocked for a second, seeing as she didn't know why she needed Chat Noir in that moment.

Chat nodded and poofed to Marinette's side, smiling.

"Once again, to the both of you. I apologize for involving you in my little plan and I wish to make it right." Master Fu spoke. "You two deserve peace after all that I have put you through. If you will it, then I will happily transport you back to the human realm to live amongst your family and peers however you see fit. And, of course Marinette, I will restore your body to perfect condition. I might even put a little spring in your step if you want! Make you a super hero even!"

"I think I'm good on that, thank you." Marinette said, dismissing the idea.

"I can do that for you without question. Although, I want to offer the two of you an alternative."

Both Master Fu and Mrs. Agreste stepped forward and spread out their wings, as if to show them off, leaving Marinette and Chat Noir in awe. "You see, we've been looking for new Guardian Angels and I couldn't think of two better candidates to look after Paris than you two. So I wish to formally invite the two of you to become Guardian Angels. If you accept, you will spend the rest of eternity together protecting your peers and other humans from any threat, whether it be human or demonic. I won't pressure you into this decision. The both of you can talk and decide how you want to spend the rest of your lives."

Marinette and Chat Noir turned to each other and grasped the other's hands. They knew how serious this decision was and they needed to make it together.

"So, what do you think Princess? You wanna go back home, or do you want to save some lives?"

Marinette smiled and began blushing, looking down at the ground. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I would love to see my friends and family again, but after all I've seen and heard through this experience, I feel like the world could use a couple more angels."

Chat nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you there Princess."

The both of them stood there in silence, thinking hard and carefully about what they'd want. Both of them had their reasons for going back to Earth, but they also had their reasons to become angels. Some of their reasons felt selfish to them, and made them wonder if they could live with themselves if they gave into their selfish desires. Could Marinette let the world suffer if she wanted to live her life to the fullest? Could Chat live with himself if he took Marinette's life away so he could be an angel so he could be closer to his mother? These were some of the questions they pondered, and there was no easy answer for either of them.

"You know Chat," Marinette began, breaking the silence. "I feel like this decision is yours to make. I know you've had struggles with your identity thanks to your father, and right now life has given you a chance to be whatever you want without anyone telling you who or what they want you to be. I don't want to make a decision too that makes you unhappy with who you are, so what would you like Chat Noir?"

"What about you Marinette?" Chat asked, his concern causing a frown to grow on his face. "What do you want?"

Marinette shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry about me Chat. As I've told you before, I can't picture a future without you in it. So I'll be happy with whatever decision you make, as long as we're together and that you're happy too. I promise you too, there won't be any regrets with whatever you choose. So that's why I ask you now, what life would make you the happiest?"

Chat began to blush as well, taking Marinette's gesture to heart. This was one of the things that he loved about her, how thoughtful she was. He had to admit, he felt guilty for having to make the decision for the both of them, and he had concerns no matter what path he chose for them as well, but he believed Marinette was being truthful when she said that she would be happy with whatever he chose, that there would be no regrets.

His immediate instinct was to say to return to the human realm. Despite what Marinette said, he wanted to go back and give her the future she deserved. He wanted to take her all around the world to travel, to give her her dream of being a fashion designer, to give her a big fancy wedding that she always dreamed of, and to grow old together.

However, he turned and faced the angels, locking his sights on his mother. He wanted to burst into tears once again just from the sight of her. He wanted to be close to her once again and not lose her.

However, the more he stared at his Mom's face, the more a certain thought was prevalent in his mind. She was taken prematurely from him, and it caused him such grief. Knowing how it feels, he doesn't want anyone else to experience the same amount of grief also. He and Marinette were presented with an opportunity to change that, to make sure that no one else would experience the same pain that he went through. The question was: Could he do it? Could they do it?

Chat dug into his suit and brought out the locket that Marinette gave him for Christmas and opened it up, looking at both pictures of the women that he held dear in his life. After a few seconds, Marinette placed her hands on top of the locket and looked into Chat's eyes. She saw the pain and indecision in them. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "It'll be alright Chat. No matter what, we'll get through it together."

Chat smiled, his heart blooming just from her touch. Looking at Marinette was so soothing and reassuring for him. Marinette has always been his strength, the source of his confidence. Being beside her felt like, to him, that he could do anything.

It was in that moment that Chat had his answer.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I gotta say, this chapter was pretty stressful to write XD I tried to answer any remaining plot points I could but I feel like I missed a couple ^^; So if there's any lingering questions (except for the cliffhangar ;D) I apologize ^^;

But the next chapter is the very last chapter~ Hope y'all are looking forward to it :3


	65. Chapter 65

**Author's Note:** Here it is everyone~ The final chapter :3 Sorry that it's coming out so late ^^; I actually got really nervous to post it ^^; But hope y'all like it~

* * *

 **Chapter 65**

Throughout Paris, a new legend has been born. They say that if you are visited by a figure in white clothing just after experiencing a near-death experience that you were saved by a Guardian angel. Some say that they were saved a man in a cat-like outfit. Other say that they were saved by a girl in a ladybug suit. Many debated over which one was true but eventually, it was agreed upon that Paris had two saviours which they dubbed Chat Blanc and The Miraculous Ladybug.

After this revelation, more rumours were spread that if you see the two angels together when you're with your sweetheart that you would be together with them forever.

As well, they say that if you've experienced tragedy or grief and you see one of these angels, then it meant that everything would be alright and that your loved ones were looking down at you from above.

The two became symbols of luck, love, and hope throughout the entire city which they didn't mind. As long as the city was safe and happy, so were they. As long as they were together too, they couldn't be happier.

The two angels looked down at the city, spotting their friends as they made their way home now that class was over. Ladybug couldn't help but spot Alya and smiled, seeing that she had finally come to terms with Marinette's death.

"Are you sure you're happy with this life?" Chat Blanc asked, his ears drooping from uncertainty. "I know you had your own dreams and ambitions. Friends and family too that you could've returned to."

Ladybug nodded and smiled at Chat. "I told you before Chat, I was fine with whatever decision you made as long as you were a part of it. Besides, being an angel is rather nice. Paris has changed in attitude ever since we became its Guardian Angels. Everyone is so much happier and full of life. It would've been nice to live a nice full life and have kids but…"

Ladybug looked down at the park and saw a few children playing happily with large smiles on their faces. She recognized some of their faces, seeing as she saved a few of their lives when they wandered out onto the street. "Saving lives is more important more than anything. After all, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Chat began smiling, feeling calm and inspired from Ladybug's words. "That's something I love about you Bugaboo. You're so selfless and willing to put others first. I wish the world had more people like you in it."

"Bugaboo?" Ladybug asked, raising an eyebrow at Chat. "Where did that name come from?"

"Oh, I just made it up." Chat chuckled with a toothy grin. "Because of the whole Ladybug motif. Like it?"

"Like it?" Ladybug deadpanned, making Chat think she was annoyed with the nickname. She floated over to him and leaned in close to his face. She narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love it! It's pretty cute."

"I'm glad!" Chat beamed, his tail waving back and forth in delight.

"That's something I love about you too Chat," Ladybug added to the conversation. "You always think of the cutest ways to make a girl feel special, even if some of them are kind of cheesy. At first it used to annoy me but I've come to love them now."

"Well, I did watch a lot of anime when I was a demon. A lot of it comes from that." Chat joked, which made Ladybug shake her head in disbelief. "In all seriousness though, being around you makes me feel special so it's only fair I return the favour."

"Of course I feel special. You know why Chat?" Ladybug placed her hand on Chat's cheek and looked deep into his eyes. "Because I'm around you. I love you Chat."

"I love you too Princess."

The two began leaning in, letting their feelings take control of them. They longed for each other, wanting to connect their souls through their lips. Within an instant, their deepest wish became a warm and passionate reality. Ladybug couldn't help but hum, being completely satisfied and happy with the kiss just like Chat was.

The loving moment between the two angels was quickly interrupted when a sight caught Chat's eyes. He quickly scoped out the situation and groaned. "Uh oh, looks like Chloe is walking while texting again into ongoing traffic."

"Urgh, can you get this one for me please? She's purposely putting herself in harm's way just so she can see me."

"Aww, she's just your biggest fan is all! Don't you wanna help your biggest fan my lady?"

Ladybug deadpanned once more, for real this time, not being amused by Chat's teasing. "Not this much on my own."

Chat bowed. "Then let's say we do this one together! After you my lady!"

"No Chat." Ladybug said as she floated closer to Chat. She intertwined her fingers with Chats and held his hand as she smiled at him. "You said it yourself, we're doing this together so let's go together!"

Chat's face began to heat up with blush. Without saying another word, he nodded and the two floated off to help the young woman in need.

Alas, the two angels were truly happy, not only because they were protecting the city and their loved ones, but also because they would be together with the one that had captured their heart forever.

The End

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I just wanted to take this time too and thank everyone for making this fic such a success~  
Seriously, I loved writing this fic~ I always looked forward to reading the reviews each week and seeing how many of y'all favourited and followed the fic :D Y'all inspired me to write more as time went on too~  
I actually have plans to write another fic too but it'll take a lot of time to prepare XD Since it involves Rena Rouge~ But for now, I wanna buckle down and focus on writing a fic just for myself~ I don't think I'll post it too sadly, since it's for a different fandom and I'd be too nervous posting it ^^;

But once again, from my bottom of my heart: Thank you all for everything and for making writing this fic such an amazing experience :D

P.S. too: I was talking with my beta reader and we both agreed that the ending would've been more preferable if they had lived and became angels later on. But ever since Day 0, I wanted to write an ending where they would become angels and look after their friends and family, as a reflection to the canon/show :P So in case anyone was curious why I went that route, that's why XD


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